cyme

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 κῦμα (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.^[1][2] Compare also Frankish *kīmō (“sprout”), from Proto-Germanic *kīmô, whence German Keim (“sprout”).

• cime (in the obsolete first sense only, )

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

cyme (plural cymes)

1. (obsolete, rare) A “head” (of unexpanded leaves, etc.); an opening bud.^[1][2]

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.^[1][2][3][4]
   • 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^[1][2]

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

cyme (plural cymes)

1. Misspelling of senna.

• “Cyme” listed on page 1303 of volume II (C) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
    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

cyme f (plural cymes)

1. (botany) cyme

• “cyme”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈky.me/

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

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

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈkyː.me/

cȳme

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

• cȳmlīċ