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col·um·bine

(kŏləm-bīn′)

Any of various perennial herbs of the genus Aquilegia in the buttercup family, native to northern temperate regions and cultivated for their showy, variously colored flowers that have petals with long hollow spurs. Also called aquilegia.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin columbīna, from feminine of Latin columbīnus, dovelike (from the resemblance of the inverted flower to a cluster of doves), from columba, dove.]

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columbine

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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