04.06.06
Crocus…Croci…
(taken by True Epicure in Columbus, Ohio)
I went looking for an online dictionary to confirm my suspicion that the plural of Crocus is Croci. It’s kind of a fascinating word, Crocus:
From the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.:
crocus
SYLLABICATION: cro·cus
PRONUNCIATION: krks
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. cro·cus·es or cro·ci (-s, -k)
1a. Any of various perennial Eurasian herbs of the genus Crocus, having grasslike leaves and showy, variously colored flowers.
b. Any of several other plants, such as the autumn crocus.
2. A grayish to light reddish purple.
3. A dark red powdered variety of iron oxide, Fe2O3, used as an abrasive for polishing.
4. A coarse, loosely woven material like burlap, once used to make sacks for shipping saffron. See “gunnysack”.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, saffron, from Old French, from Latin, from Greek krokos; akin to perhaps from a source akin to Arabic kurkum, saffron.
I don’t think of Croci as herbs, but of course they are! Duh, me!
Ashley said,
April 6, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Pretty!! Whatcha doin’ in Columbus? I grew up just outside of there, in Hilliard! Hope you’re staying warm.
Pam said,
April 6, 2006 at 6:31 pm
Pretty! I love crochi. I need one crocus spotting and one robin spotting and then spring is offically here.
Except not in AZ where we are woefully short of both croci and robins
Kelli said,
April 7, 2006 at 11:14 am
Love it! And I love learning about new words. More plants and flowers please.