polyanthus
polyanthus noun: a type of primula, apparently originally from a hybrid between the cowslip and the primrose, having many different-coloured flowers.
Noun
polyanthus (plural polyanthuses or polyanthi)
- A type of primula, apparently originally from a hybrid between the cowslip and the primrose, having many different-coloured flowers.
- [T]he Hens all want to sit, the Primroses Polyanthuses &c crowd the Hedges; & a Rose Tree or two are quite full of Leaves.1793 February 27, Hester Piozzi, Thraliana
- No cottage in Coughton boasted taller hollyhocks, nor finer Michaelmas daisies in the autumn than Dame Magdalen’s almshouses; and even now, at this early season, well cared-for stocks, and rich polyanthuses might excite the envy of more scientific but less successful gardeners.1842, [Katherine] Thomson, chapter X, in Widows and Widowers. A Romance of Real Life., volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, pages 227–228
Forms of polyanthus
| plural | polyanthuses |
|---|---|
| plural | polyanthi |
Origin of polyanthus
From Renaissance Latin polyanthus, corresponding to poly- + Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”).
Questions about polyanthus
- What does polyanthus mean?
- Polyanthus means a type of primula, apparently originally from a hybrid between the cowslip and the primrose, having many different-coloured flowers.
- What part of speech is polyanthus?
- Polyanthus is a noun.
- What is the plural of polyanthus?
- The plural of polyanthus is polyanthuses.
Words near polyanthus in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: polyanthus (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “polyanthus.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/polyanthus. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.