crocus

UK: /ˈkrəʊkəs/ US: /ˈkroʊkəs/ ,(krō′kəs)

Inflections of 'crocus' (n): npl: crocuses

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cro•cus /ˈkroʊkəs/   n. [countable] , pl. -cus•es. 

1. Plant Biology a small bulb-shaped plant of the iris family, cultivated for its showy flowers that bloom in spring.

cro•cused, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cro•cus  (krō′kəs), n., pl. -cus•es. 

1. Plant Biology any of the small, bulbous plants of the genus Crocus, of the iris family, cultivated for their showy, solitary flowers, which are among the first to bloom in the spring.
2. Plant Biology the flower or bulb of the crocus.
3. a deep yellow; orangish yellow;
   saffron.

Also called cro′cus mar′tis  (mär′tis). a polishing powder consisting of iron oxide.

• Semitic; compare Arabic kurkum saffron
• Greek krókos saffron, crocus
• Latin
• Middle English 1350–1400

cro′cused, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

crocus / ˈkrəʊkəs/ noun ( -cuses)

1. any plant of the iridaceous genus Crocus, widely cultivated in gardens, having white, yellow, or purple flowers
   See also autumn crocus
2. another name for jeweller's rouge

Etymology: 17th Century: from New Latin, from Latin crocus, from Greek krokos saffron, of Semitic origin