myosotis

[ mahy-uh-soh-tis ]

noun

1. any plant belonging to the genus Myosotis, of the borage family, having basal leaves and pink or white flowers, as the forget-me-not.

myosotis

/ ˌmaɪəˈsəʊtɪs; ˈmaɪəˌsəʊt /

noun

1. any plant of the boraginaceous genus Myosotis See forget-me-not

Word History and Origins

Origin of myosotis¹

1700–10; < New Latin, Latin myosōtis < Greek myosōtís the plant mouse-ear, equivalent to myós (genitive of mŷs ) mouse + -ōt- (stem of oûs ) ear + -is noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of myosotis¹

C18: New Latin from Greek muosōtis mouse-ear (referring to its furry leaves), from muos, genitive of mus mouse + -ōt- , stem of ous ear

Example Sentences

He writes that “a snapdragon is now called an antirrhinum, a word no one can spell”—let alone pronounce—“without consulting a dictionary,” and that “forget-me-nots are coming more and more to be called myosotis.”

From The New Yorker

D.T.F. is a co-founder of Myosotis LLC.

From Nature

Her parents named her for the myosotis, a bright-hued, five-petaled flower with a yellow center commonly used to decorate gifts or sent by lovers who wish to be remembered.

From New York Times

Myosotis, mī-ō-sō′tis, n. a genus of annual or perennial herbs of the borage family, with alternate leaves and simple or branched racemes of bractless blue, pink, or white flowers: a flower of this genus, as the common blue forget-me-not.

From Project Gutenberg

It is gloomy enough in the ravine below, but here the sun is brightly shining, and primroses are blooming on the borders, and the blue myosotis that rivals the noonday sky in the brightness of its colour.

From Project Gutenberg