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mar·i·gold

(mărĭ-gōld′, mâr-)

1. Any of various North and South American plants of the genus Tagetes of the composite family, widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers.

2. Any of several plants having similar flowers, such as calendula or marsh marigold.

[Middle English marygolde, marigolde, calendula : Mary, Marie, Mary (with whom the flower was associated in various traditions); see MARY¹ + golde, calendula (from Old English golde; akin to Old English gold, gold; see GOLD).]

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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