sweet william

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a widely cultivated European flowering plant (Dianthus barbatus) with dense, flat clusters of white, pink, red, or purple flowers

   She planted sweet william along the path for its crimson and white flower clusters.

An English plant name recorded since the sixteenth century, formed from sweet + the personal name William. Dictionaries trace the second element to the name William, but the identity of any particular William behind the name is uncertain; later historical explanations are largely unverified stories.

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