cyclamen
UK[ˈsɪkləmən]US[ˈsaɪkləmən, ˈsɪkləmən]
n
A low-growing plant of the primrose family, having pink, red, or white flowers with backward-curving petals and patterned leaves.
Etymology
The word 'cyclamen' entered English in the mid-16th century from the Latin 'cyclaminos' or 'cyclamen', which was a direct borrowing from the Greek 'kyklaminos'. The Greek term is thought to be derived from 'kyklos', meaning 'circle' or 'wheel', likely in reference to the coiled stalk of the seed capsule or the rounded shape of the plant's tuber. This botanical name, rooted in an ancient observation of the plant's form, traveled through Latin into modern scientific and common usage, preserving its classical reference to a circular shape.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Latin, which itself borrowed it from Greek. It is not productively segmented into meaningful morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The cyclamen on the windowsill bloomed with delicate, swept-back pink flowers.
She carefully watered the cyclamen, ensuring not to wet its tuberous crown.
In floristry, cyclamen is often used as a symbol of resignation and goodbye.