dahlia

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdeɪ.li.ə/, /ˈdɑː.li.ə/ (UK); /ˈdæl.jə/, /ˈdɑl.jə/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from New Latin Dahlia, the genus name,^[2][3][4][5] given in 1791 in honour of Anders Dahl, a Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus.^[3][6][5] Etymonline says the name was given by the Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles.^[6] The sources differ on Dahl's death, which the AHD dates to 1787 and the others to 1789.^[2][6][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A genus of plants native to Mexico, cultivated in gardens (1804).^[7][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The idea that a true blue dahlia could never be bred led to blue dahlia as a figure for something impossible or unattainable,^[6][7] dated 1843 in Etymonline and 1880 in the OED.^[6][7] The word was also used for a shade of red (1846)^[7] and, in Random House, for a pale violet color.^[5] Merriam-Webster dates the plant sense only from 1835.^[4]

Timeline

• 1791 – the New Latin genus name.^[3][6][5]
• 1804 – the plant in English.^[7][3][6]
• 1843 – blue dahlia, something unattainable (Etymonline).^[6]
• 1846 – a shade of red.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of a genus of plants native to Mexico and Central America, with tuberous roots and showy flower heads in many colors.
2. The flower head of such a plant.
3. A pale violet or amethyst color.

Related words

• chrysanthemum
• aster

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press