[ME., a. F. colombin, ad. L. columbīn-us pertaining to a dove or pigeon, dove-colored, f. columba dove.]
1. Of, belonging to, or of the nature of, a dove or pigeon.
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Columbine … Dove-like, pertaining to a Dove or Pigeon.
1773. Pennant, Genera of Birds (1781), Pref. 15. The Columbine race make a most artless nest; a few sticks laid across suffice.
1835. Selby, in Penny Cycl., VII. 367/1. The deviation from the proper Columbine form.
2. transf. Dove-like; resembling the dove as a type of innocence or gentleness. (Freq. with ref. to Matt. x. 16.) ? Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 897. The turtle voys is herd, my dowue sweete … Com forth now with thyne eyen columbyn.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (1840), 8. Vij maydens … Most columbyne of chere and of lokyng.
1539. Taverner, Gard. Wysedome, II. 8 b. To fense our selfes ayenst the wyly and craftye foxes with columbyne prudencie.
c. 1640. J. Smyth, Lives Berkeleys (1883), II. 151. Whether with this serpentine prudence hee had columbine simplicity.
1651. Lennard, trans. Charron’s Wisd., II. x. 305–6. Columbine innocency and simplicity.
3. Of the color of a pigeon’s neck, dove-colored. ? Obs.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 372. Stone tiburtyne or floody columbyne or spongy rede [cf. Isidore, Orig., XIX. x. § 3 Lapides … Tiburtinus, columbinus, fluvialis, spongia, rubrus].
1598. Florio, Colombino, doue colour: columbine colour.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 506. The Columbine marle, the Gauls call in their language … Pelias (Doue or Pigeon marle).
1635. [J. Bate], Bk. Extravagants, 204. Lake and azure make a violet or columbine colour.
1764. Croker, Dict. Arts & Sc., Columbine-colour, or dove-colour, among painters, denotes a kind of violet.
1817. R. Jameson, Char. Min., 81. Columbine or pigeon-neck tarnish.
B. quasi-sb. 4. Short for columbine color.
1606. Peacham, Graphice (1612), 95. Violets, Columbines and the like.
1763. Dict. Arts & Sc., I. 671. From the same mixture of blue, crimson, and red, are formed the columbine, or dove-colour.
† 5. For columbine vine (vitis columbina in Pliny).
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 410. Of all vines, the Columbines yeeld most gleaning.
† 6. A dove-like person. Obs. (pronunc. colu·mbine.)
1647. J. Hall, Poems, 72. This innocent Columbine, he, That was the marke of rage before, O cannot now admired be, But still admired, still needs more.
† 7. Some kind of bird.
1698. Fryer, E. Ind. & Persia, in Phil. Trans., XX. 342. He describes a sort of Bird call’d a Columbine, making a Noise like a Bittern.
