Crocus Bulb
/ˈkrəʊ.kəs bʌlb/noun
The rounded underground storage organ of a crocus plant, technically a corm rather than a true bulb.
Did you know?Crocus is linked to the ancient Greek word for saffron, while the plant’s so-called “bulb” is botanically a corm—a swollen underground stem, not a true bulb.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷr̥h₂u-
“A reconstructed root associated with the crocus or saffron plant; the exact prehistoric form is uncertain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κρόκος (krókos)
“Crocus; especially the saffron-producing plant and its threads.”
Latin
Latin
crocus
“Crocus or saffron, borrowed from Greek.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
βολβός (bolbós)
“A rounded underground plant organ or bulb.”
Old English to Middle English
English
bulbe / bulbe
“An underground rounded plant body, borrowed through Latin and French from Greek.”
Modern English
English
crocus bulb
“The underground planting organ of a crocus, commonly called a bulb although it is technically a corm.”