Meanings
plural gentians
- countableAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae found in temperate and mountainous regions with violet or blue flowers.
Searching again, he noticed something that had eluded him before: a single flower, a gentian, blooming not fifty feet in front of them, where, by all rights, there ought to be solid rock. How does it get enough light to live?
2008, Christopher Paolini, “Assault on Helgrind”, in Brisingr, page 391 more example
On the cover of the leaflet advertising the Alpenrose Gasthof in Zirl am Gurgl […] there is a decorative picture of a young woman. […] She has bright flaxen hair and laughing eyes of the same hue as the gentians in the meadow beyond the inn.
1956, Delano Ames, Crime out of Mind, chapter 1 - uncountableDried roots and rhizome of European gentian (Gentiana lutea), used as a tonic.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient GreekΓένθιος
- Latingentiāna
- Englishgentian
Via Middle English from Latin gentiāna, which, according to Pliny the Elder, was named after Gentius (Ancient Greek Γένθιος (Génthios)), the last king of Illyria, who supposedly discovered the plant's medicinal benefits. This has been dismissed as folk etymology but the word may still ultimately be of Illyrian origin, as -an is a common suffix in Illyrian words.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γεντιανή, γεντιανή
- γεντιανή (gentianḗ)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- γεντιανή (gentianḗ)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Arabic جَنْطِيَانَا, كُوشَاد
- جَنْطِيَانَا (janṭiyānā)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- كُوشَاد (kūšād)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- جَنْطِيَانَا (janṭiyānā)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
- كُوشَاد (kūšād)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Bulgarian тинтя́ва, тентя́ва
- тинтя́ва (tintjáva)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- тентя́ва (tentjáva)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- тинтя́ва (tintjáva)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
- тентя́ва (tentjáva)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Catalan genciana, genciana
- gencianaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gencianaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Chinese Mandarin 龍膽科 /龙胆科
- 龍膽科 /龙胆科 (lóngdǎn kē)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
Czech hořec
- hořecAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
Dutch gentiaan
- gentiaanAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
Esperanto genciano, genciano
- gencianoAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gencianoThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Finnish katkero, keltakatkeron juuri
- katkeroAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- keltakatkeron juuriThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
French gentiane, gentiane
- gentianeAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gentianeThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
German Enzian, Enzian
- EnzianAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- EnzianThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Greek γεντιακή, γεντιακή
- γεντιακή (gentiakí)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- γεντιακή (gentiakí)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Irish ceadharlach, lus an chrúbáin
- ceadharlachAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- lus an chrúbáinAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
Italian genziana, genziana
- genzianaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- genzianaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Latin gentiāna, gentiāna
- gentiānaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gentiānaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Persian کوشاد, جنطیانا
- کوشاد (kušâd)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- جنطیانا (jantiyânâ)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- کوشاد (kušâd)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
- جنطیانا (jantiyânâ)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Polish gencjana, goryczka
- gencjanaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- goryczkaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gencjanaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
- goryczkaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Portuguese genciana, genciana
- gencianaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gencianaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Romanian gențiană, gențiană
- gențianăAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gențianăThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Russian гореча́вка, гореча́вка
- гореча́вка (gorečávka)Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- гореча́вка (gorečávka)The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Spanish genciana, genciana
- gencianaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- gencianaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Turkish centiyana, yılan otu
- centiyanaAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- yılan otuAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
- centiyanaThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
- yılan otuThe dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian
Welsh crwynllys
- crwynllysAny of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gentian
Anagrams
Cite this entry
gentian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentian
“gentian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentian. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gentian,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentian.
Source: gentian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.