What does cornflower mean?
The cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) is an annual flowering plant of the daisy family, celebrated for its intense blue blossoms with delicately fringed petals. Once a familiar weed growing among crops in European grain fields — hence 'corn,' which in British usage refers to cereal grains — it has largely vanished from farmland due to modern herbicides and agricultural practices, though it remains a favorite of gardeners and wildflower meadow schemes. The flower's distinctive hue proved so memorable that it gave rise to the color name 'cornflower blue,' used in fashion, paint, design, and gemology, where it describes the most valued sapphires. Across history the cornflower has carried symbolic weight, associated in various contexts with tenderness, remembrance, and resilience, and it appears frequently in art, heraldry, and literature. Alternative folk names include bachelor's button and bluebottle.
nounA slender annual plant (Centaurea cyanus) of the daisy family, bearing bright blue flowers with fringed petals, formerly a common weed of cornfields and now popular in gardens.
- The plant Centaurea cyanus, an annual with brilliant blue fringed flowers, native to Europe and formerly widespread in arable fields.
"The meadow was scattered with cornflowers swaying among the wheat."
"She wore a sprig of cornflower pinned to her summer hat."
"The artist mixed a delicate cornflower for the sky in the painting."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to multiple plants or blooms.
"They gathered armfuls of cornflowers along the lane."
Its name comes from the fact that it once grew as a weed in grain fields — and its vivid shade was so beloved that 'cornflower blue' became a color name in its own right.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cornflower
The word cornflower combines 'corn' — an Old English word that in Britain means any cereal grain, especially wheat — with 'flower,' reflecting the plant's habit of growing as a weed among grain crops. It has been used in English since at least the sixteenth century to name this field weed. The same pattern appears in other 'corn' compounds such as cornfield and cornmeal. In North America, where 'corn' came to mean maize specifically, the name persisted through the flower's introduction rather than arising independently.
How cornflower is actually used
The word carries gentle, pastoral connotations of countryside and wildflowers. The derived color term 'cornflower blue' — a soft medium blue — is well established in fashion, design, and even gemology (e.g., describing the most prized sapphires). The plant is known regionally by other names such as bachelor's button and bluebottle.
Easily confused with cornflower
Cornflour (called cornstarch in the US) is a fine white powder made from maize used to thicken sauces, whereas cornflower is a flowering plant.