Meanings
plural Plantagenets
- historicalA member of the dynasty which held the English throne from 1154 to 1485.First known use 16th c.
[…] all the fine intelligence of all the Plantagenets, […]
1902, Charles Robert Ashbee, Masque of the Edwards of England, page 71 more example
The last surviving Plantagenet prince descended in the male line, Edward earl of Warwick was a touchstone for Yorkist affections […] and Lincoln understood the galvanizing effect of Warwick's presence at the head of any uprising.
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 23
- A community in Alfred and Plantagenet township, Ontario, Canada.
- A local government area in the Great Southern region, Western Australia; in full, the Shire of Plantagenet.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe family name of a line of English kings that reigned from 1154 to 1485
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinplanta genista“sprig of broom”
- Old Frenchplante genest
- EnglishPlantagenet
Originally a sobriquet of Geoffrey of Anjou (1113-1151), founder of the line, who was said to have worn a yellow broom blossom in his hat, Old French plante genest (French plante genêt), from Latin planta genista (“sprig of broom”), whence Medieval Latin Plantagenistae; subsequently adopted as a surname.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Plantagenet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plantagenet
“Plantagenet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plantagenet. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Plantagenet,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Plantagenet.
Source: Plantagenet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.