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Definition of parnassia
parnassia
/pɑːrˈnæs.i.ə/
par · nas · si · a
Plural:parnassias
parnassia Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
12
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A plant of a genus of perennial herbaceous plants (genus Parnassia), commonly known as grass of Parnassus or bog-stars, characterized by distinctive pale green or white five-petaled flowers and typically found in arctic, alpine, or marshy wetland environments.
Example
"During our hike through the Scottish Highlands, we spotted a delicate white parnassia blooming near the edge of the alpine bog."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for parnassia• Rhymes for parnassia
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from New Latin Parnassia, named by Carl Linnaeus after Mount Parnassus in central Greece. The plant was historically known by the descriptive Latin name 'Gramen Parnassi' (grass of Parnassus), traditionally associated with the alpine meadows of the sacred mountain.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Parnassia. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/parnassia