hyacinth

Etymology

From Middle English jacinth, from Old French jacincte, from Medieval Latin jacintus, from Latin hyacinthus, from Ancient Greek ὑάκινθος (huákinthos, “any of several dark blue flowers”), ultimately from a non-Indo-European Mediterranean language. Relatinized in the 16th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪəsɪnθ/

Noun

hyacinth (plural hyacinths)

1. Any bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, native to the Mediterranean and South Africa.
2. A variety of zircon, ranging in color from brown, orange, reddish-brown and yellow; a jacinth.

Further reading

• “Hyacinth” in David Barthelmy, Webmineral Mineralogy Database, 1997–.
• hyacinth mindat.org‎, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed 29 August 2016