[sca.bi.ous] n [ME scabiose, fr. ML scabiosa, fr. L, fem. of scabiosus, adj.] (14c): any of a genus (Scabiosa) of Old World herbs of the teasel family with terminal flower heads subtended by a leafy involucre
[2]scabious adj [L scabiosus, fr. scabies] (1603) 1: scabby
2: of, relating to, or resembling scabies "~ eruptions"