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Definition of "cornflower" [corn•flow•er]

  • An annual Eurasian plant (Centaurea cyanus) in the composite family, cultivated and also naturalized in North America and having showy heads of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers. Also called bachelor's button. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "cornflower" in a sentence
  • "He has isolated the characteristic pigment and investigated its chemical nature from a rather large number of flowers, such as cornflower, roses, pelargonia, larkspur, hollyhock, etc., as well as from some fruits, such as bilberries, black grapes and cranberries."
  • "Bachelor’s Button Also called cornflower, these annuals make 1-inch flowers in shades of red, white, and blue on 2-foot stalks."
  • "The fantasies begin to take shape: first a porch with splintered cornflower blue floorboards, then the dog everyone thinks is stupid."
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