Hyacinth

Hyacinth
   A hyacinth is a varicolored fragrant plant with a terminal cluster of flowers. This harbinger of spring takes its name from a legendary handsome Greek youth. But in the beauty of this lovely flower lies a tragic story. The son of Amyclae, a Spartan king, was a youth named Hyacinthus, He was so handsome that he was beloved by both Apollo (god of the sun) and Zephyrus (god of the west wind). Hyacinthus returned the love of Apollo, whereupon Zephyrus became insanely jealous. One day while Apollo was engaged in a game of throwing with Hyacinthus, Zephyrus, far from the gentle soul he was reputed to be—a soft, warm breeze called a zephyr was named after him—caused a discus tossed by Apollo to strike the lad's head. Hyacinthus died, and from his blood sprang the flower that bears his name—the hyacinth, a delicate flower with breathtaking spikes of white, pink, yellow, or purple flowers. On the petals appeared a legendary exclamation of grief: ai ai.
   The Greek word huakinthos became the Latin word hyacinthus, entering the English language as hyacinth. Horticulturists believe that the original flower was a lily, gladiolus, or iris. It is now taken to mean any of the hyacinthus group of bulbous herbs of the lily family.

Dictionary of eponyms. . 2013.

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  • Hyacinth — may refer to the following persons: * Hyacinth (mythology), divine hero in Greek mythology * Hyacinth and Protus (martyred 257 9), Christian saints * Saint Hyacinth (c.1185 1257), Polish priest, canonized 1594 * Hyacinth Mariscotti (Hyacintha,… …   Wikipedia

  • Hyacinth — Single par Aya Matsuura extrait de l’album Aya Matsuura Best 1 Face A Hyacinth Face B Aitakute Hatsukoi Sortie 10 mars 2004 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hyacinth — Hy a*cinth, n. [L. hyacinthus a kind of flower, prob. the iris, gladiolus, or larkspur, also a kind of gem, perh. the sapphire; as, a proper name, Hyacinthus, a beautiful Laconian youth, beloved by Apollo, fr. Gr. ?, ?: cf. F. hyacinthe. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hyacinth — f English form of the name borne in classical mythology by a beautiful youth (Hyakinthos in Greek, Hyacinthus in Latin) who was accidentally killed by Apollo and from whose blood sprang a flower bearing his name (not the modern hyacinth, but a… …   First names dictionary

  • hyacinth — 1550s, the plant hyacinth; re Greeked from earlier jacinth (late 14c.) hyacinth; blue cornflower, earlier a precious stone blue (rarely red) in color (c.1200), from O.Fr. jacinte and M.L. jacintus, ultimately from Gk. hyakinthos, probably… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Hyacinth — bezeichnet: Hyakinthos Hyacinth Bitschurin Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichneter Begriffe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • hyacinth — [hī′ə sinth΄] n. [L hyacinthus < Gr hyakinthos, wild hyacinth, bluebell, blue larkspur, hence a blue gem] 1. a) among the ancients, a blue gem, probably the sapphire b) any of the reddish orange or brownish varieties of zircon or certain other …   English World dictionary

  • Hyacinth — Hyacinth, 1) Mineral, krystallisirt in Säulen u. Pyramiden des tetragonalen Systems, erscheint auch in losen abgerundeten Körnern, Bruch muschelig bis uneben, Härte 7–8, spec. Gew. 4,4–4,7; roth bis pomeranzengelb, glasglänzend, oft… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Hyacinth — Hyacinth, die intensiv rothe u. pomeranzengelbe Abänderung des Zirkons genannt, ein Mineral von großer Härte, aus Kieselerde, Zirkonerde u. Eisen bestehend. von 4,4. bis 4,6. spec. Gew. Man findet die verschiedenen Abänderungen des… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • hyacinth — ► NOUN ▪ a plant with a spike of bell shaped fragrant flowers. ORIGIN named after Hyacinthus in Greek mythology: Hyacinthus was a youth loved by the god Apollo but accidentally killed by him, from whose blood Apollo caused a flower to grow …   English terms dictionary

  • hyacinth — rytinis hiacintas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Hiacintinių šeimos augalas (Hyacinthus orientalis), iš kurio gaunamas eterinis aliejus. atitikmenys: lot. Hyacinthus orientalis angl. common hyacinth; Dutch hyacinth; garden hyacinth;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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