Paeony

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of herbaceous or woody plant distinguished by its large, vibrant flowers that are valued both for ornamental use in gardens and for their historical applications in herbal medicine
2. An enduring flowering plant recognized for its substantial, often aromatic blooms, which are cultivated primarily for decorative purposes and have been utilized in traditional healing practices
3. A perennial plant known for its large blossoms and attractive foliage that is commonly grown for ornamental reasons and has historical significance in various traditional remedies

Etymology: The flower is named after a god who was a healer. In Greek myth, Paiōn (Paeon) was the physician of the gods, and the Greek word "paiōn" came to mean simply "a physician." The plant was linked to him because its roots and seeds were used in medicine, so the name records a healing use long before the flower was prized for its looks. The name passed into Latin as "paeōnia," and from there it reached English through two routes: an early Old English form, "peonie," and a later reinforcement from Anglo-Norman and Old French, where the word became "peone" and then "pyoine," the form that survives in modern French as "pivoine." The English word thus has a double ancestry, arriving once in Anglo-Saxon times and again through the Norman-French influence that followed. The spelling "paeony" is simply an older-style variant of the same word, keeping the Latin "ae" that modern English usually simplified to "e."