n. Any of various plants chiefly of the genus Scabiosa, especially S. atropurpurea, having opposite leaves and variously colored rounded flower heads. Also called scabiosa. [Middle English scabiose, from Medieval Latin (herba) scabiōsa, (herb) for scabies, scabious; see SCABIOSA.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.