Tiare Tahiti
/tiːˈɑːreɪ təˈhiːti/noun
A common name for the Tahitian gardenia, Gardenia taitensis, a fragrant white flower native to Polynesia.
Did you know?In Tahiti, a tiare flower traditionally offered with its scent can communicate welcome, affection, or relationship status, making the flower part of a living social language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian period
Proto-Polynesian
*tia
“A reconstructed Polynesian root associated with flowering or a flower; the exact prehistory of Tahitian tiare remains uncertain.”
Pre-European Tahitian
Tahitian
tiare
“Flower, especially the fragrant gardenia associated with Tahiti.”
1767
Tahitian
Tahiti
“The name of the island encountered and recorded by European navigators; its deeper internal derivation is debated.”
19th Century
French
tiaré de Tahiti
“Tahitian tiare or Tahitian gardenia, a French rendering of the Polynesian flower name.”
Modern English
English
tiare
“A borrowed name for Gardenia taitensis, also called the Tahitian gardenia.”
Modern English
English
Tiare Tahiti
“A descriptive commercial and botanical expression meaning the tiare flower of Tahiti.”