Etymologically
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poppy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈpɒpi/ (UK); /ˈpɑpi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English popi, inherited from Old English popig, earlier popæg,[2][3][4][5][6] probably an alteration of Vulgar Latin *papāvum,[2][3][4][7] itself an alteration of Latin papāver (“poppy”).[2][3][4][5] The exact formation of both words is obscure.[8] Etymonline suggests a reduplicated form of an imitative root Proto-Indo-European *pap- (“to swell”),[4] and Partridge an Egyptian source.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

A plant of the genus Papaver, with milky narcotic juice and showy flowers (before 700 in the OED; about 700 in Barnhart).[10][3]

Semantic evolution

The name also meant a narcotic extract of the plant, such as opium,[2][5] as in Shakespeare's “Not poppy, nor mandragora”.[11] The poppy has been associated with battlefields and war dead at least since Waterloo,[4] a link sealed by John McCrae's First World War poem about Flanders,[4] and since 1921 artificial poppies were worn to remember the war dead.[10][12] In Australia a tall poppy is a distinguished or well-paid person.[10][12] As a colour name it means a strong reddish orange,[2][5] and in British slang it has meant money since 1943.[10][11]

Timeline

  • before 700 – the plant.[10][3]
  • c. 1150 – papig.[3]
  • 1641 – tall poppy.[10]
  • 1921 – the Flanders poppy of remembrance.[10]
  • 1943 – money (slang).[10][11]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Papaver, with showy red, orange or white flowers and a milky juice, including the opium poppy.
  2. Any of several similar or related plants, such as the California poppy.
  3. An extract from the poppy, such as opium, used in medicine and as a narcotic.
  4. A vivid reddish-orange colour.
  5. An artificial poppy worn to remember those who died in war.

Word family

  • poppied
  • poppyhead
  • poppy red
  • poppy seed
  • Shirley poppy

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  8. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  9. ^ Partridge, Eric (1966), Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, 4th ed., London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  12. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House