gentian
Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɛnʃ(ə)n/
noun
- a plant of temperate and mountainous regions, which typically has violet or vivid blue trumpet-shaped flowers. Many kinds are cultivated as ornamentals, especially as arctic alpines, and some are of medicinal use.
- Family Gentianaceae: genera Gentiana and Gentianella
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Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin gentiana, according to Pliny named after Gentius, king of Illyria, who is said to have discovered the medicinal properties of a common species