mignonette

mignonette
/min'yeuh net"/, n.
1. a plant, Reseda odorata, common in gardens, having racemes of small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers with prominent orange anthers.
2. a grayish green resembling the color of a reseda plant.
[1690-1700; < F; see MIGNON, -ETTE]

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▪ plant
      any of about 60 species of herbs and shrubs making up the genus Reseda (family Resedaceae). They are native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia but have been widely introduced elsewhere. Several species have become popular garden flowers.

      Mignonettes are annual or perennial plants that reach heights of 30 to 75 cm (1 to 2 feet) and are found in field margins and open grasslands. Their leaf blades are typically pinnately lobed. Mignonettes bear long spikes—technically racemes—of small white or yellowish green flowers that have orange anthers (pollen sacs). The popular garden mignonette (R. odorata) assumes the form of a low dense mass of soft green foliage studded freely with the racemes of flowers. This species is widely grown for its flowers' delicate, musky fragrance and for an essential oil that is used in perfumery. Other species include wild mignonette (R. lutea) and white mignonette (R. alba). Weld (R. luteola) yields a yellow dye that has been used for more than 3,000 years.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mignonette — may refer to: Réséda (Mignonette day) in the French Republican Calendar Contents 1 Plants 2 People 3 In cooking 4 Other …   Wikipedia

  • Mignonette — Mi gnon*ette , n. [F. mignonnette, dim. of mignon darling. See 2d {Minion}.] (Bot.) A plant ({Reseda odorata}) having greenish flowers with orange colored stamens, and exhaling a delicious fragrance. In Africa it is a low shrub, but further north …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mignonette — f English: probably a direct use of the French nickname mignonette ‘little darling’, a feminine diminutive of mignon sweet, cute, dainty. Alternatively, it may belong to the class of names derived from vocabulary words denoting flowers (the word… …   First names dictionary

  • mignonette — [min΄yə net′] n. [Fr mignonnette, dim. of mignon: see MIGNON] 1. any of a genus (Reseda) of plants of the mignonette family with thick stems and coarse foliage, esp. an annual plant ( R. odorata) bearing terminal spikes of small greenish, whitish …   English World dictionary

  • Mignonette — Mignonette, eine Gattung seiner, zarter, geklöppelter weißer Zwirnspitzen, nicht über 2–3 Zoll breit. Ferner baumwollene, gemustert gewebte oder broschirte seine Halstücher, die in Frankreich verfertigt werden, und eine Nachahmung der Linontücher …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • mignonette — kvapioji razeta statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Rezetinių šeimos dekoratyvinis augalas (Reseda odorata), paplitęs šiaurės Afrikoje ir pietų Europoje. Iš jo gaunamas eterinis aliejus. atitikmenys: lot. Reseda odorata angl. bastard rocket;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • mignonette — noun Etymology: French mignonnette, from obsolete French, feminine of mignonnet dainty, from Middle French, from mignon darling Date: 1785 1. any of a genus (Reseda of the family Resedaceae, the mignonette family) of herbs; especially a garden… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mignonette — 1. noun a) A plant (Reseda odorata) having greenish flowers with orange colored stamens, and exhaling a delicious fragrance. In Africa it is a low shrub, but further north it is usually an annual herb. b) A grey green colour, like that of the… …   Wiktionary

  • Mignonette — Mi|gno|nette [mɪnjo nɛt], die; , s [frz. mignonette, eigtl. Vkl. von: mignon, ↑Mignon]: schmale, feine Spitze aus Zwirn …   Universal-Lexikon

  • mignonette — /mɪnjəˈnɛt/ (say minyuh net) noun 1. a plant, Reseda odorata, common in gardens, having racemes of small, fragrant, greenish white flowers with prominent reddish yellow or brownish anthers. 2. light green as of reseda plants. 3. a perfume derived …  

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