HYACINTH

noun Etymology: Latin ~us, a precious stone, a flowering plant, from Greek hyakinthos Date: 1553 1. a precious stone of the ancients sometimes held to be the sapphire, a gem zircon or essonite, 2. a plant of the ancients held to be a lily, iris, larkspur, or gladiolus, 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, a light violet to moderate purple, ~ine adjective