大家都知道雛菊的英文名是daisy，但你知道它的含義嗎？Daisy來自於古英語短語dgesege，表示「日之眼」。因為雛菊黎明花開，黃昏花謝，好像生長於天地之間的眼睛一樣。不過，蘭花的英文名就沒有這麼好聽了，不僅不優雅，甚至名字還有點汙。
1. CARNATION [kɑr'nen]康乃馨
There are two etymologies for carnation, a term found in English in the early 1500s. According to one, carnation may be a corruption of coronation, perhaps because the flower’s toothed petals resembled crowns or because the flowers were worn, crown-like, as garlands. The second etymology comes from the flower’s original color, and roots carnation in the Middle French carnation, 「pink complexion,」 from the Latin root caro, 「flesh,」 source of less delicate words like carnal and carnage.Carnation（康乃馨）在16世紀初期出現在英語中，關於carnation的詞源有兩種說法。其中一種說法認為，carnation可能是coronation（加冕禮）的變體，因為康乃馨的鋸齒狀花瓣好像皇冠，又或者是因為人們把這種花當花冠佩戴。第二種說法與康乃馨的原色有關，認為carnation這個名字來自中古法語carnation（粉紅的氣色），這個單詞的拉丁語詞根是caro（肉慾），與carnal（肉慾的）、carnage（大屠殺）等不太好聽的單詞詞根相同。
2. CHRYSANTHEMUM [kr'snθmm]菊花
The word chrysanthemum, emerging in English in the late 1500s, comes from the Greek krysanthemon, meaning 「gold flower.」 The first component, krysos (「gold」), shows up in the biological term chrysalis. The second, anthos (「flower」), appears in anthology, literally 「a collection of flowers,」 first used for a compilation of small poems in the early 1600s.Chrysanthemum在16世紀末期傳入英語，這個單詞源於希臘語krysanthemon（金色的花朵）。第一個組成部分krysos意為「金色的」，是形容蝶蛹的生物學術語。Anthos表示「花朵」，它也是anthology的詞根。Anthology意為 「鮮花大全」，在17世紀初期時，這個單詞用來表示短詩集。
3. DAISY雛菊
The word daisy has deep roots in the English language. As attested to in some of English’s earliest records, daisy comes from the Old English phrase dgesege: the 「day’s eye,」 as the flower’s white petals close at dusk and open at dawn, like the eye of the day as it sleeps and wakes.Daisy是一個地地道道的英語單詞。根據一些英語相關的早期記載，Daisy來自於古英語短語dgesege，意思是「日之眼」。白色的雛菊黎明花開，黃昏花謝，就像是每一天的眼睛一樣睡去醒來。
4. ANEMONE ['nmni]銀蓮花
The anemone is also known as the windflower. Indeed, the word anemone, first attested in English in the mid-1500s, probably comes from a Greek word literally meaning 「daughter of the wind.」 It's said that the brightly colored petals of this flower only opened when the wind blew. Sea anemones took their names in the late 1700s on their likeness to the flowers.Anemone（銀蓮花）也被稱為風之花。事實上，anemone是在16世紀中葉首次出現在英語中的，它可能起源於一個希臘單詞，意思是「風的女兒」。據說，明媚鮮豔的銀蓮花只有在風吹過時才會綻放。因為銀蓮花和海葵有幾分相似，到18世紀末期時，人們將海葵（一種長在水中的食肉動物）稱為sea anemone。
5. FORGET-ME-NOT勿忘我
The name forget-me-not was a direct translation from the Old French ne m』oubliez mye (「do not forget me」). Renaissance romantics believed that, if they wore these soft-colored flowers, they would never be forgotten by their lovers, making the flower a symbol of fidelity and everlasting love.勿忘我的英文名字forget-me-not直接翻譯自古法語「ne m』oubliez mye（勿忘我）」。文藝復興時期的浪漫主義者認為，如果他們戴上這種色彩柔和的花朵，就永遠不會被愛人遺忘。勿忘我因此成為忠誠永恆愛情的象徵。
6. ORCHID ['rkd]蘭花
Orchids are a diverse family of extremely elegant flowers, but the literal meaning of their name, documented in English in the early 1840s, is a bit earthier, shall we say. Orchid comes from the Greek orkhis, meaning 「testicle.」 The flower's bulbous roots, often paired, have long been thought to resemble those male organs.蘭科植物（orchid）都非常優雅，但是它們的名字直譯過來卻有點粗俗。據記載，蘭花的英文名orchid出現在19世紀40年代。Orchid來自希臘語orkhis，也就是「睪丸」的意思。由於蘭花的球莖根通常是成對的，長期以來，人們一直認為其和男性睪丸相似。
7. PEONY牡丹
The peony, a word found in Old English, was believed to have healing properties in early medicine, which is why its name might honor Paion, the physician of the gods in Greek mythology.牡丹的英文名peony起源於古英語，在早期醫學中，人們認為牡丹具有療傷功效，因此，可能根據希臘神話中眾神的醫生Paion，將其命名為peony。
8. RHODODENDRON [,rod'dndrn]杜鵑
Like many other flower names, rhododendron enters the English record in the mid-1500s. The name literally means 「rose tree」 in Greek. It’s an apt name, for this shrub or small tree blooms with brilliant, rose-colored flowers.和其他眾多鮮花名一樣，rhododendron（杜鵑）是16世紀中葉傳入英語中的。Rhododendron在希臘語中的意思是「玫瑰樹」。這個名字非常貼切，因為這種像小樹一樣的灌木植物能開出鮮豔的玫瑰色花朵。
9. TULIP鬱金香
Passing into English via Dutch or German in the late 1500s, tulip actually comes from the Turkishtülbent, based on the Persian dulband:「turban.」 The flower, to its ancient namers, resembled the male headwear worn throughout the Middle East, India, and parts of Africa.16世紀晚期，tulip（鬱金香）從荷蘭語或德語中傳入英語，這個單詞實際上源自於Turkishtülbent。Turkishtülbent來自于波斯語dulband，指「穆斯林的頭巾」。按照鬱金香古代名字的意思，這種花好像中東、印度以及非洲部分地區男性的頭飾。
10. VIOLET紫羅蘭
Before we had the color violet, recorded by the late 1300s, we had the flower violet, emerging some decades earlier in the same century. Violet grows out of the French violete or violette, a diminutive of viole, in turn the Latin viola, its name for this distinctively purple flower. This viola has no etymological relationship to the instrument. Some scholars suspect Latin got viola from the Greek name for the plant, ion.據記載，在14世紀末期人們用violet表示紫羅蘭色，而再往前幾十年，也是在14世紀，violet就指代紫羅蘭鮮花。Violet來自於法語中的 violete或violette，它們是viole的指小詞，而viole來自於拉丁語單詞 viola，也就是拉丁語中對這種獨特的紫色花朵的稱呼。拉丁文viola（英語中有中提琴的意思）和中提琴毫無關係。一些學者認為，它來自於希臘語中對紫羅蘭的稱呼 ion。
英文來源：mentalfloss.com翻譯&編輯：董靜審校：yaning