/ kɑːˈneɪʃn; NAmE kɑːrˈn-/ noun
a white, pink or red flower, often worn as a decoration on formal occasions :
He was wearing a carnation in his buttonhole.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: perhaps based on a misreading of Arabic qaranful clove or clove pink, from Greek karyophyllon . The early forms suggest confusion with a different word carnation rosy pink colour , with incarnation , and with coronation .