coreopsis

coreopsis (kawr-ee-OP-sis, kohr-ee-OP-sis) - n., any composite herb of the genus Coreopsis with showy, typically yellow flowers, widely cultivated as ornamentals.


Also called calliopsis and tickseed, and they're members of the vast group of DYCs, aka Damned Yellow Composites. Chiefly a New World genus, with 80 or so species. I first met the word in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," where Walter is confused about what it is and imagines it's a medical condition --

A nurse hurried over and whispered to Renshaw, and Mitty saw the man turn pale. “Coreopsis has set in,” said Renshaw nervously.

-- and while I was a kid and didn't know what it really was, I was pretty sure it wasn't medical, and my best guess was some engineering thing. The genus name was coined in 1753 (originally as a Scientific Latin term but quickly nativized to English) from Ancient Greek kóris, bedbug (related to keirein, to cut) + New Latin -opsis, resembling in appearance (from Ancient Greek ópsis, aspect/appearance).


Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

... pocketa-pocketa-pocketa ...