gentian

gen·tian  (jnshn)

n.

1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Gentiana, characteristically having showy, variously colored flowers.

2. The dried rhizome and roots of a yellow-flowered European gentian, G. lutea, sometimes used as a tonic.

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[Middle English gencian, from Old French genciane, from Latin gentina, perhaps after Gentius, second-century b.c. king of Illyria.]

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gentian [jen-shun]

Noun

a mountain plant with blue or purple flowers [Latin gentiana]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

gentian - any of various plants of the family Gentianaceae especially the genera Gentiana and Gentianella and Gentianopsis flower - a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms family Gentianaceae, gentian family, Gentianaceae - chiefly herbaceous plants with showy flowers; some are cultivated as ornamentals Gentiana acaulis, gentianella - low-growing alpine plant cultivated for its dark glossy green leaves in basal rosettes and showy solitary bell-shaped blue flowers bottle gentian, Gentiana andrewsii, blind gentian, closed gentian - gentian of eastern North America having tubular blue or white flowers that open little if at all explorer's gentian, Gentiana calycosa - tufted sometimes sprawling perennial with blue flowers spotted with green; western North America blind gentian, closed gentian, Gentiana clausa - similar to Gentiana andrewsii but with larger flowers Gentiana lutea, great yellow gentian - robust European perennial having clusters of yellow flowers calathian violet, Gentiana pneumonanthe, marsh gentian - perennial Eurasian gentian with sky-blue funnel-shaped flowers of damp open heaths Gentiana saponaria, soapwort gentian - erect perennial of wet woodlands of North America having leaves and flower buds resembling those of soapwort Gentiana villosa, striped gentian - a perennial marsh gentian of eastern North America ague weed, agueweed, five-flowered gentian, Gentiana quinquefolia, Gentianella quinquefolia, stiff gentian - gentian of eastern North America having clusters of bristly blue flowers felwort, gentianella amarella - gentian of Europe and China having creamy white flowers with fringed corollas fringed gentian - any of various herbs of the genus Gentianopsis having the margins of the corolla lobes fringed; sometimes included in genus Gentiana spurred gentian - any of various plants of the genus Halenia having flowers with spurred lobes