Ancient Greek edit

 
Erodium malacoides flowers and fruit resembling a crane's bill.

Etymology edit

From γέρανος (géranos, crane) +‎ -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). The reference to cranes in the plant names is due to the elongated fruits of these plants, which have a characteristic shape reminiscent of the elongated bill of a bird such as a crane (see picture). Compare English storksbill, Dutch reigersbek, ooievaarsbek.

Pronunciation edit

 

Noun edit

γερᾰ́νῐον (geránionn (genitive γερᾰνῐ́ου); second declension

  1. cranesbill (Geranium tuberosum)
  2. storksbill (Erodium malacoides)
  3. kind of whitening substance used in alchemy

Inflection edit

Descendants edit

  • Translingual: Geranium

Further reading edit