What does geranium mean?
Geranium most commonly denotes a flowering member of the botanical genus Geranium, a group of plants also called cranesbills because their long, beak-like fruits resemble a bird's bill. The plants generally have rounded, deeply divided leaves and flowers in shades that include white, pink, red, violet, and blue. In gardens, the name is often applied more broadly to closely related pelargoniums, especially the familiar red, pink, and white bedding plants sold in pots. The word can also name a reddish-pink or scarlet color associated with the blossoms. Geraniums are valued for their vivid flowers, long flowering season, and tolerance of container growing. Their name comes through Latin from the ancient Greek geranion, a diminutive of geranos, meaning “crane,” an image reflected in the shape of the fruit.
nounA flowering plant of the genus Geranium, commonly called a cranesbill, with deeply divided leaves and showy flowers. The name can also denote a reddish-pink or scarlet color resembling the flowers.
- Any flowering plant of the botanical genus Geranium, commonly known as a cranesbill.
- A reddish-pink or scarlet color associated with the flowers of these plants.
"A bright red geranium overflowed from the terracotta pot beside the garden gate."
"The geranium in the window box was thriving in the warm afternoon sun."
"She chose a geranium-colored blouse to match the flowers on the balcony."
The standard plural adds -s to the unchanged form of the word.
"Several geraniums surrounded the stone fountain."
The word geranium ultimately means “little crane,” a reference to the long, pointed beaks of the plant's fruits.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does geranium come from?
The English word entered through New Latin geranium, which was borrowed from Medieval Latin and ultimately from ancient Greek geranion. Greek geranion was a diminutive of geranos, “crane,” traditionally understood as a reference to the long-beaked shape of the plant's fruit. The same Greek root is reflected in forms such as geranial and geranoid, while the familiar fragrance of the plant also contributed to the formation of geraniol.
How geranium is actually used
In everyday horticulture, “geranium” often refers to pelargoniums, including the familiar zonal or bedding varieties. Strict botanical usage reserves the name for members of the genus Geranium, commonly called cranesbills.
Easily confused with geranium
Botanically, a geranium belongs to the genus Geranium, while a pelargonium belongs to the closely related genus Pelargonium, although the name geranium is often used informally for familiar garden pelargoniums.