cyme

See also: Cyme

English

Etymology 1

Diagram of a cymose inflorescence

Cymes (sense 2) of pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

Borrowed from French cime, cyme (“top, summit”), from Vulgar Latin *cima, from Latin cȳma (“young sprout of a cabbage”, “spring shoots of cabbage”), from Ancient Greek κかっぱῦμみゅーαあるふぁ (kûma, “anything swollen, such as a wave or billow”; “fetus”, “embryo”, “sprout of a plant”), from κύω (kúō, “I conceive”, “I become pregnant”; in the aorist “I impregnate”). For considerably more information, see cyma, which is an etymological doublet. Compare also Frankish *kīmō (“sprout”), from Proto-Germanic *kīmô, whence German Keim (“sprout”).

Alternative forms

• cime (in the obsolete first sense only, [18th century])

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sīm, IPA^(key): /saɪm/
• Rhymes: -aɪm

Noun

cyme (plural cymes)

1. (obsolete, rare) A “head” (of unexpanded leaves, etc.); an opening bud.

1. (botany) A flattish or convex flower cluster, of the centrifugal or determinate type, on which each axis terminates with a flower which blooms before the flowers below it. Contrast raceme.
   • 1906, “Gentianaceæ”, in Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck, Frank Moore Colby, editors, The New International Encyclopædia:

     The inflorescence is some form of cyme, and the flowers are usually regular.

   • 2003, S. M. Reddy, S. J. Chary, University Botany 2: Gymnosperms, Plant Anatomy, Genetics, Ecology, page 190:

     The plant bears small groups of two or three yellowish coloured flowers on an axillary cyme.

   • 2003, David Curtis Ferree, Ian J. Warrington, Apples: Botany, Production and Uses, page 157:

     The flower cluster is a cyme (terminal flower is the most advanced), is terminal within the bud and may contain up to six individual flowers.

1. (architecture) = cyma

Derived terms

• cymelet
• cymiferous
• cymoid

Related terms

• cyma
• cyma inversa
• cymaise
• cyma recta
• cyma reversa
• cymatic
• cymatics
• cymatile
• cymatium
• cymatograph
• cymatolite
• cymobotryose
• cymograph
• cymoid, cymatoid
• cymophane
• cymophanous
• cymoscope, cymatoscope
• cymose
• cymosely
• cymotrichous, cymatotrichous
• cymotrichy
• cymous
• cymule
• cymulose

Translations

a “head” (of unexpanded leaves, etc.)

botany: a centrifugal or definite inflorescence, esp. compound inflorescences of this type forming a more or less flat head

• Danish: kvast
• Esperanto: cumo
• Finnish: viuhko (fi)
• German: Zyme f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kvast m

• Polish: wierzchotka f
• Portuguese: cima (pt) f, cimeira (pt) f
• Swedish: centrifugal inflorenscens c, cymös blomställning c, knippelik blomställning c, begränsad blomställning c

architecture: cyma — see cyma

Etymology 2

An error for cynne, probably resulting from the overlapping of the two ens in handwriting.

Noun

cyme (plural cymes)

1. Misspelling of senna.

References

• “Cyme” listed on page 1303 of volume II (C) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1893]
    Cyme (Shaks. Macb. v. iii. 55, 1st Folio), supposed to be an error for cynne, Senna. [¶] 1605 Shaks. Macb. v. iii. 55 What Rubarb, Cyme, or what Purgatiue drugge Would scowre these English hence.
• “cyme” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]

French

Noun

cyme f (plural cymes)

1. (botany) cyme

Further reading

• “cyme”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *kumi, from Proto-Germanic *kumiz (“arrival”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to go, come”). Akin to Old Frisian keme, Old Saxon kumi, Old High German cumi (“arrival”), Gothic 𐌵𐌿𐌼𐍃 (qums), Old English cuman (“to come”). More at come.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈky.me/

Noun

cyme m

1. coming, arrival; advent, approach
   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     ...ymb fēower ⁊ fēowertiġ wintra Ongolcynnes cȳmes in Breotone

     ...about forty-four years after the arrival of the Angles in Britain.

2. an event
3. an outcome, result

Declension

Declension of cyme (strong i-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	cyme	cymas
accusative	cyme	cymas
genitive	cymes	cyma
dative	cyme	cymum

Descendants

• Middle English: come, cume, coom, coome, kime, keome (Early Middle English)
  • English: come (obsolete)
  • Scots: come

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *kūmiz (“delicate, feeble”). Akin to Old High German kūmo (“tender, dainty, weak”) (German kaum (“hardly”)), (Dutch kuim (“weak; hardly”)) .

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkyː.me/

Adjective

cȳme

1. comely, lovely, splendid, beautiful
2. exquisite

Declension

Declension of cȳme — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cȳme	cȳmu, cȳmo	cȳme
Accusative	cȳmne	cȳme	cȳme
Genitive	cȳmes	cȳmre	cȳmes
Dative	cȳmum	cȳmre	cȳmum
Instrumental	cȳme	cȳmre	cȳme
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cȳme	cȳma, cȳme	cȳmu, cȳmo
Accusative	cȳme	cȳma, cȳme	cȳmu, cȳmo
Genitive	cȳmra	cȳmra	cȳmra
Dative	cȳmum	cȳmum	cȳmum
Instrumental	cȳmum	cȳmum	cȳmum

Declension of cȳme — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cȳma	cȳme	cȳme
Accusative	cȳman	cȳman	cȳme
Genitive	cȳman	cȳman	cȳman
Dative	cȳman	cȳman	cȳman
Instrumental	cȳman	cȳman	cȳman
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cȳman	cȳman	cȳman
Accusative	cȳman	cȳman	cȳman
Genitive	cȳmra, cȳmena	cȳmra, cȳmena	cȳmra, cȳmena
Dative	cȳmum	cȳmum	cȳmum
Instrumental	cȳmum	cȳmum	cȳmum

Related terms

• cȳmlīċ