Amaranth

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Amaranth \Am"a*ranth\, n. [L. amarantus, Gr. ?, unfading,
     amaranth; 'a priv. + ? to quench, cause to wither, fr. a root
     meaning to die, akin to E. mortal; -- so called because its
     flowers do not soon wither: cf. F. amarante. The spelling
     with th seems to be due to confusion with Gr. ? flower.]
     1. An imaginary flower supposed never to fade. [Poetic]


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Bot.) A genus of ornamental annual plants ({Amaranthus})
        of many species, with green, purplish, or crimson flowers.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A color inclining to purple.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  amaranth
       n 1: seed of amaranth plants used as a native cereal in Central
            and South America
       2: any of various plants of the genus Amaranthus having dense
          plumes of green or red flowers; often cultivated for food