Where does “peony” come from?
Peony comes from Old English peonie, a borrowing from Latin paeonia, which derives from Greek paiōnia, ultimately named after Paion, the physician of the gods in Greek mythology.
peony (English): A flowering plant of the genus "Paeonia" with...
Definitions
- A flowering plant of the genus "Paeonia" with...
Ancestry of “peony”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | peonie | — |
| 2 | Latin | paeōnia | peony |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | παιωνία | peony |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | παιών | a physician |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παιάν | hymn to Apollo |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Παιάν | Paean; in Greek mythology the physician of the gods |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | παίω | I strike, hit; I strike against or upon; I devour |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *p(y)eh₂w- | — |