gentian
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gentian
- /ˈd͡ʒɛnt͡ʃən/ US
- /ˈd͡ʒɛnt͡ʃn̩/ UK
Rhymes with -ɛnʃən
Where it comes from
Via Middle English from Latin gentiāna, which, according to Pliny the Elder, was named after Gentius (Ancient Greek Γένθιος (Génthios)), the last king of Illyria, who supposedly discovered the plant's medicinal benefits. This has been dismissed as folk etymology but the word may still ultimately be of Illyrian origin, as -an is a common suffix in Illyrian words.
noun gentians
- Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae found in temperate and mountainous regions with violet or blue flowers. On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. […] She has bright flaxen hair and laughing eyes of the same hue as the gentians in the meadow beyond the inn.
- Dried roots and rhizome of European gentian (Gentiana lutea), used as a tonic.
Similar: fieldwort
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: fieldwort
Translations
Every language
noun Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
| Español | genciana |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 龍膽科 /龙胆科 lóngdǎn kē |
| Português | genciana |
| Français | gentiane |
| Deutsch | Enzian |
| Italiano | genziana |
| Ελληνικά | γεντιακή gentiakí |
| Română | gențiană |
| Русский | гореча́вка gorečávka |
| العربية | جَنْطِيَانَا janṭiyānā, كُوشَاد kūšād |
noun The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
| Español | genciana |
|---|---|
| Português | genciana |
| Français | gentiane |
| Deutsch | Enzian |
| Italiano | genziana |
| Ελληνικά | γεντιακή gentiakí |
| Română | gențiană |
| Русский | гореча́вка gorečávka |
| العربية | جَنْطِيَانَا janṭiyānā, كُوشَاد kūšād |
Talk about this word "gentian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gentian. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gentian. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gentian "gentian." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gentian.Cite this
@misc{gentian_2026,
title = {gentian},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gentian},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
