: a precious stone of the ancients sometimes held to be the sapphire
b
: a gem zircon or hessonite
2
a
: a plant of the ancients held to be a lily, iris, larkspur, or gladiolus
b
: a bulbous perennial herb (Hyacinthus orientalis) of the lily family that is native to the Mediterranean region but is widely grown for its dense spikes of fragrant flowers compare grape hyacinth, water hyacinth
Recent Examples on the WebOften, my father would go on about the wildlife in the park: the chestnut and elm trees around the perimeter, hyacinths, daffodils, rhododendrons.—Nicolaia Rips, The New Yorker, 21 June 2024 Since opening in 2007, the garden has introduced additional blooms to the mix, like hyacinths and daffodils — and all are on full display during the annual Kashmir Tulip Festival.—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 15 Mar. 2024 Stem Cuts Matter: Where common grocery store blooms have hearty or hard stems and should be cut at a diagonal, bulb flowers such as hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips should be cut above any remaining white bulb where the green stem starts, as water cannot be absorbed from the woody bulb area.—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 9 May 2024 The herbicide is meant to kill nonnative plants such as hyacinth, South American spongeplant, Uruguay water primrose, Alligator weed, Brazilian waterweed, curlyleaf pondweed, Eurasian watermilfoil, coontail, ribbon weed, and fanwort.—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hyacinth
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hyacinth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin hyacinthus, a precious stone, a flowering plant, from Greek hyakinthos
: a common garden plant that grows from a bulb, is related to the lilies, and is widely grown for its showy dense spikes of fragrant bell-shaped flowers compare grape hyacinth, water hyacinth
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