What does chrysanthemum mean?
Word: Chrysanthemum
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Chrysanthemum means a garden plant with large, round flowers made of many thin petals, in colours such as yellow, white, red and purple.
Word origin: Comes through Latin from Greek, from the Greek words for 'gold' and 'flower'.
How do you spell chrysanthemum?
Syllables: chry - san - the - mum
Tricky part: The ch is said k, and the first vowel is a y, not i. Students write crysanthemum or chrisanthemum.
Watch out for: crysanthemum, chrisanthemum, krysanthemum
Memory tip: Chrys is the Greek word for gold, so picture a golden flower and give it the Greek spelling: c-h-r-y.
Chrysanthemum in a sentence
Example 1: The gardener grows yellow chrysanthemums along the school wall.
Example 2: Her aunt in Chandigarh won a prize for the biggest chrysanthemum in her colony.
Example 3: Her mother tucked a white chrysanthemum into her plait for the festival.
Fun Fact
The chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Japanese emperor, and the imperial throne of Japan is known as the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
chrysan___mum
a) the
b) thi
c) thu
d) tha
Show answer
a) the. The vowel in that syllable is e, the same as in hen.
Jumble Tumble
Which option has letters that you can rearrange to form the name of a flower?
a) liputt
b) dgolriamy
c) ilhadat
d) mumhetsyranch
Show answer
d) mumhetsyranch. The long jumble makes chrysanthemum; the others each have one letter too many for dahlia, marigold and tulip.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ch' pronounced differently?
a) chorus
b) chalk
c) chemist
d) chrysanthemum
Show answer
b) chalk. Chalk opens with the ch of chair; in chrysanthemum, chorus and chemist the ch is said k.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
For the flower show, Meera arranged white chrysantemums in a tall brass vase.
a) 2
b) 0
c) 3
d) 1
Show answer
d) 1. Only one slip: chrysantemums has lost the h after the t.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. At a chrysanthemum show, you would most likely see ___.
a) racing cars lined up on a track
b) rows of potted flowers judged for size and colour
c) old coins kept in glass cases
d) paintings of mountains in frames
Show answer
b) rows of potted flowers judged for size and colour
2. In north India, chrysanthemums are at their best in ___.
a) early winter
b) late spring
c) the monsoon
d) peak summer
Show answer
a) early winter
