amaranth

English
WOTD – 2 November 2019

Etymology
Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus), a species of amaranth (sense 2), in the Botanical Garden in Bremen, Germany
Amaranth seeds (sense 4), which are used for culinary purposes
Skull-shaped candies made with amaranth (sense 4) and honey for a Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Mexico

Borrowed from French amarante, or directly from its etymon Latin amarantus (the word ending influenced by plant names derived from Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “a bloom, blossom, flower”)), from Ancient Greek ἀμάραντος (amárantos, “eternal, undying, unfading, unwilting; amaranth; everlasting flower”) (modern Greek αμάραντος (amárantos)), from ᾰ̓- (a-, the alpha privativum, a suffix forming words having a sense opposite to the word or stem to which it is attached) + μαραίνω (maraínō, “to shrivel, wither”)[1] + -τος (-tos, suffix forming adjectives).

Pronunciation

Noun

amaranth (countable and uncountable, plural amaranths)

  1. (dated, poetic) An imaginary flower that does not wither.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: Printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […] [a]nd by Robert Boulter […] [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: The Text Exactly Reproduced from the First Edition of 1667: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 351–357:
      With ſolemn adoration down they [the angels] caſt / Thir Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold; / Immortal Amarant, a Flour which once / In Paradiſe, faſt by the Tree of Life / Began to bloom, but ſoon for mans offence / To Heav'n remov'd where firſt it grew, there grows, / And flours aloft ſhading the Fount of Life, [...]
    • 1853, S[arah] S. Smith, “Little Henry. Inscribed to His Father, Bp H. Dox, of Lockport.”, in Amaranth Blooms: A Collection of Embodied Poetical Thoughts, Utica, N.Y.: J. W. Fuller & Co.; press of D. Bennett, OCLC 316671480, page 120:
      The Amaranth’s snowy blossoms, stormwoven, / Shed their soft lustre, o’er thy forehead fair! / By seraph hands the fadeless wreath was woven, / And twined amid thy sunny locks of hair.
  2. Any of various herbs of the genus Amaranthus.
    Synonyms: amaranthus, pigweed
    • 1905 January 19, Hetta L. H. Ward, “To-day”, in Henry Chandler Bowen, editor, The Independent, volume LVIII, number 2929, New York, N.Y.: The Independent, […], OCLC 4927591, page 130, column 2:
      To-morrow, oh, to-morrow, / In pastures green, where living waters swell, / And feed that fruitful tree, / We'll find the amaranth and asphodel, / There Mary's peerless lilies blossom well.
    • 1924, “[Reports from Ports] Hangchow”, in Decennial Reports on the Trade, Industries, etc., of the Ports Open to Foreign Commerce, and on the Condition and Development of the Treaty Port Provinces. 1912–21. Fourth Issue. […] (China. The Maritime Customs. I.—Statistical Series; no. 6), volume II (Southern and Frontier Ports), Shanghai: Published at the Statistical Department of the Inspector General of Customs; sold by Kelly & Walsh, Limited [et al.], OCLC 1100556667, page 86:
      [...] Chrysanthemum coronarium, L. (hao-ts‘ai (蒿菜), and an amaranth (Amarantus gangeticus, L.), hsien-ts‘ai (莧菜), are cultivated for the sake of their leaves.
    • 2010 November, “Appendix C: Concern Response Report [NPS Response to Comments on the Draft Plan/EIS]”, in Cape Hatteras National Seashore Off-road Vehicle Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (NPS FES 10-55), volume 2, [Washington, D.C.]: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, OCLC 680057000, page C-223:
      While seabeach amaranth is a fugitive annual, its habitat requirements are known; it is found on sandy ocean beaches, where its primary habitat consists of overwash flats at accreting ends of islands and the sparsely vegetated zone between the high-tide line and the toe of the primary dune on non-eroding beaches. This narrow habitat niche for seabeach amaranth is bounded by its relative intolerance of flooding in lower beach settings and competition with other plants in upper beach and dune settings.
  3. The characteristic purplish-red colour of the flowers or leaves of these plants.
    amaranth colour:  
  4. (chemistry) A red to purple azo dye used as a biological stain, and in some countries in cosmetics and as a food colouring.
    Synonym: E123
  5. (cooking) The seed of these plants, used as a cereal.

Alternative forms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also
  • Appendix:Colors

References
  1. Compare “amarant(h), n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1884; “amaranth” (US) / “amaranth” (UK) in Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University Press.

Further reading

Anagrams
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