ianthine

[prettygoodword]

ianthine (ee-AN-theen) - adj., violet-colored.


Pity such a pretty word is so obscure -- appearing in only a few older unabridged dictionaries (and wikis devoted to those couple MMORPGs with Ianthine Spectres, Swords, Et cets). From Latin ianthinus, violet-blue. There is also a mineral ianthinite (2UO₂·7H₂, and yes that's uranium), but I presume it's named from the color, not the other way around.

---L.

Comments

[paulakate.livejournal.com]

Like hyacinth

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

That -nth- is rather more Greek than Latin, isn't it. I'm not finding whether those have any direct link -- I think I need an etymological Latin dictionary for this.

---L.

[slyviolet.livejournal.com]

Hyacinth: 1550s; earlier jacinth (early 13c.), from Gk. hyakinthos, probably ultimately from a non-I.E. Mediterranean language. Used in ancient Greece of a blue gem, perhaps sapphire, and of a purple or deep red flower, but exactly which one is unknown (gladiolus, iris, and larkspur have been suggested). Fabled to have sprouted from the blood of Hyakinthos, youth beloved by Apollo and accidentally slain by him. The flower is said to have the letters "AI" or "AIAI" on its petals. The modern use in reference to a flowering plant genus is from 1578.