Hy·a·cinth n.
1. Bot. (a) A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. Hyacinthus orientalis is a common variety. (b) A plant of the genus Camassia (Camassia Farseri), called also Eastern camass; wild hyacinth. (c) The name also given to Scilla Peruviana, a Mediterranean plant, one variety of which produces white, and another blue, flowers; -- called also, from a mistake as to its origin, Hyacinth of Peru.
2. Min. A red variety of zircon, sometimes used as a gem. See Zircon.
Hyacinth bean Bot., a climbing leguminous plant (Dolichos Lablab), related to the true bean. It has dark purple flowers and fruit.
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hyacinth bean
n : perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having
trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pealike
flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as
an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian
subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos [syn: bonavist,
Indian bean, Egyptian bean, Lablab purpureus, Dolichos
lablab]