cyclamen

noun

cy·​cla·​men ˈsī-klə-mən  ˈsi- 

: any of a genus (Cyclamen) of Old World plants of the primrose family having showy nodding flowers

Examples of cyclamen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Under Dior gray skies and a canopy of cyclamens, Jonathan Anderson staged his first couture show for the house with Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence and Anya Taylor-Joy in the front row. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026

Beard lichens hang from the branches and cyclamens push up among tree roots that bulge from the earth like gnarled claws. —Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2025

Constance Spry, the doyenne of British floristry, shared her favorite Christmas arrangement with the magazine: green moss spread over wire netting, then studded with cyclamens and ivy. —Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2023

Add a pop of color to those dreary winter days with a cyclamen plant in your home. —Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 31 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, going back to Medieval Latin ciclamin-, ciclamen, going back to Latin cyclamīnos, cyclamīnum, borrowed from Greek kyklámīnos, probably from kýklos "circle, wheel" + -aminos (as in sēsáminos "made of sesame," from sēsamê sesame + -inos, suffix of materials); so named from the round tuber of Cyclamen graecum — more at wheel entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cyclamen

• foramen
• gravamen
• highwayman
• highwaymen
• philemon
• putamen
• railwaymen
• cayman
• daimon
• damon
• haman
• layman

Kids Definition

cyclamen

noun

cy·​cla·​men ˈsī-klə-mən 

ˈsik-lə-

: any of a genus of plants related to the primroses and often grown in pots for their showy nodding flowers

Medical Definition

cyclamen

noun

cy·​cla·​men ˈsī-klə-mən  ˈsik-lə- 

: any of a genus (Cyclamen) of Old World plants of the primrose family having showy, downward-curving flowers