紐鶏頭

Japanese

Kanji in this term
紐	鶏	頭
ひも Jinmeiyō	けい > げい Grade: S	とう Grade: 2
kun'yomi	kan'on

Alternative spelling
紐鷄頭 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Literally, “string cockscomb”, 紐(ひも) (himo, “string”) + 鶏頭(けいとう) (keitō, “cockscomb”). The keitō changes to geitō as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [çimo̞ɡe̞ːto̞ː]

Noun

紐(ひも)鶏(げい)頭(とう) or 紐鶏頭(ヒモゲイトウ) • (himogeitō) 

1. love-lies-bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus

   Synonym: 仙人穀 (senninkoku)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).