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Definition of glaucium
glaucium
/ˈɡlɔːsiəm/
glau · ci · um
Plural:glauciums
glaucium Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
13
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A genus of herbaceous plants in the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, commonly known as horned poppies due to their long, curved seed capsules and distinctive grayish-green leaves.
Example
"The botanist identified the bright yellow flower growing along the coastal dunes as a species of glaucium."
Word Origin & Etymology
From Latin 'glaucium', derived from Ancient Greek 'glaúkion' (a plant with bluish-green foliage), ultimately from 'glaukós' meaning 'bluish-green' or 'gleaming', in reference to the characteristic color of the plant's leaves.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Glaucium. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/glaucium