Celandine
/ˈsɛl.ən.daɪn/noun
A flowering plant of the buttercup family or the poppy family, especially one with yellow or orange flowers.
Did you know?Celandine’s name is traditionally linked to Greek words for a swallow, because the plant was thought to bloom when swallows arrived and fade when they left.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khelidōn / chelidōn
“swallow”
Late Greek
Greek
chelidónion / khelidṓnion
“a plant associated with swallows, especially celandine”
Latin
Latin
chelidōnium
“celandine, the swallow-wort plant”
Middle English
English
celidoyne / celidoyne
“celandine, the plant”
Modern English
English
celandine
“the name of certain yellow-flowered plants”
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