(n) an annual Eurasian plant cultivated in North America having showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowers, Syn. Centaurea cyanus, bluebottle, bachelor's button
(n) a weedy perennial with tough wiry stems and purple flowers; native to Europe but widely naturalized, Syn. Centaurea nigra, black knapweed, hardheads
‖prop. n. [ NL. See Centaury. ] (Bot.) A large genus of composite plants, related to the thistles and including the cornflower or bluebottle (Centaurea Cyanus) and the star thistle (Centaurea Calcitrapa). [ 1913 Webster ]