centaury
UK /ˈsɛntɔːɹɪ/ · US /ˈsɛntɔɹi/ noun
Forms centauries centory
- noun Centaurium, sensu stricto
- noun Gyrandra, a genus in Gentianaceae, formerly included in Centaurium, with species commonly called centaury
- noun Schenkia, a genus in Gentianaceae, formerly included in Centaurium, with species commonly called centaury
- noun Zeltnera, a New World genus in Gentianaceae, formerly included in Centaurium, with species commonly called centaury
- noun Centaurea, a genus in the Asteraceae containing species sometimes called centaury
- noun Cheirolophus crassifolius, a species in the Asteraceae commonly known as Maltese centaury
- noun Sabatia, a New World genus in the Gentianaceae containing species sometimes called centaury
Etymology
From Middle English centaure, from Old English centaurie, from Medieval Latin centaurēa, centauria, from Latin centaurēum, centaurion, from Ancient Greek κενταύρειον (kentaúreion, “several plants related to Centaurea”), from κένταυρος (kéntauros, “centaur”) (due to the mythological discovery of its medicinal properties by Chiron the Centaur). Doublet of centaurea.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “centaury”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details