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chry·san·the·mum

(krĭ-sănthə-məm, -zăn-)

1. Any of various plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the composite family, native chiefly to East Asia, several of which are widely cultivated as ornamentals for their showy radiate flower heads.

2. A flower head of one of these plants.

[Latin chrȳsanthemum, from Greek khrūsanthemon, gold flower : khrūs-, khrūso-, chryso- + anthemon, flower (from anthos).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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