Centaurea
/ˌsɛn.tɔːˈriː.ə/noun
A large genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, including knapweeds and cornflowers.
Did you know?Centaurea was associated with the centaur Chiron, but the ancient plant traditionally linked to him cannot be identified with certainty as any single modern species.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κένταυρος (kéntauros)
“Centaur, a legendary creature traditionally depicted as half-human and half-horse”
Classical Latin
Latin
centaurus
“Centaur; the Latin form of the Greek mythological name”
Ancient Latin botanical tradition
Latin
centaurea
“A plant name associated by tradition with the centaur Chiron and medicinal healing”
Medieval Latin
Latin
centaurea
“A herb or plant name preserved in medical and botanical writing”
1753
Scientific Latin
Centaurea
“Linnaeus’s formal genus name for a group of daisy-family plants”
Modern English
English
Centaurea
“The botanical genus containing knapweeds, cornflowers, and related plants”
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