Hyacinthus

Hy·a·cin·thus

noun \ˌhī-ə-ˈsin(t)-thəs\

Definition of HYACINTHUS

: a youth loved and accidentally killed by Apollo who memorializes him with a hyacinth growing from the youth's blood

Origin of HYACINTHUS

Latin, from Greek Hyakinthos

First Known Use: 1565

Hyacinthus

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Greek mythology, a young man of great beauty who attracted the love of Apollo. The god killed him accidentally in discus throwing, and from his blood grew the flower hyacinthos (not the modern hyacinth), whose petals were marked with the words AI, AI (“Alas”). His death was celebrated at Amyclae, his native town in Sparta, with an early summer festival known as the Hyacinthia. The festival marked the transition from spring to summer.