Hyacinth

3 definitions found

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

  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. {Jacinth}. The hyacinth was fabled to have
     sprung from the blood of Hyacinthus, who was accidentally


     slain by Apollo.]
     1. (Bot.)
        (a) A bulbous plant of the genus {Hyacinthus}, bearing
            beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. {Hyacinthus
            orientalis} is a common variety.
        (b) A plant of the genus {Camassia} ({Camassia Farseri}),
            called also {Eastern camass}; wild hyacinth.
        (c) The name also given to {Scilla Peruviana}, a
            Mediterranean plant, one variety of which produces
            white, and another blue, flowers; -- called also, from
            a mistake as to its origin, {Hyacinth of Peru}.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Min.) A red variety of zircon, sometimes used as a gem.
        See {Zircon}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Hyacinth bean} (Bot.), a climbing leguminous plant
        ({Dolichos Lablab}), related to the true bean. It has dark
        purple flowers and fruit.
        [1913 Webster]

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

  Zircon \Zir"con\, n. [F., the same word as jargon. See {Jargon}
     a variety of zircon.]
     1. (Min.) A mineral consisting predominantly of zirconium
        silicate ({Zr2SiO4}) occurring in tetragonal crystals,
        usually of a brown or gray color. It consists of silica
        and zirconia. A red variety, used as a gem, is called
        {hyacinth}. Colorless, pale-yellow or smoky-brown
        varieties from Ceylon are called {jargon}.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     2. an imitation gemstone made of {cubic zirconia}.
        [PJC]
  
     {Zircon syenite}, a coarse-grained syenite containing zircon
        crystals and often also elaeolite. It is largely developed
        in Southern Norway.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hyacinth
       n 1: a red transparent variety of zircon used as a gemstone [syn:
             {jacinth}]
       2: any of numerous bulbous perennial herbs