Eryngoes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Spiny thistle-like herbaceous plants of the genus Eryngium, often with blue flowers and prickly leaves
2. Prickly coastal plants in the carrot family known as sea hollies, grown for their silvery-blue flower heads
3. Thistle-like flowering plants with spiny bracts, belonging to the carrot family and commonly called sea holly

Etymology: "Eryngoes" is the plural of "eryngo," the name of the sea holly, a spiny blue-green plant of coastal dunes. The English name descends from Latin "ēryngion," itself taken from Ancient Greek "ērúngion," a word built on "ḗrungos," the Greek name for the plant. The Greek root points to the plant's prickly nature, though the exact sense of the base word is uncertain. Because the word passed through Latin into English, its spelling and sound reflect that long journey. The plural simply adds "-es," following the pattern of words ending in "-o" that take an "-es" ending, so "eryngoes" is the form used when referring to more than one plant.

Synonyms: sea holly