Forms: 4–6 columbyn(e, 5 colombyne, ? colybyn, 6–7 collom-, collumbine, -byne, cullom-, cullam-, cullumbine, -byne, 7 colombine, 4– columbine. [a. F. colombine, in med.L. columbīna (? sc. herba) = dove’s plant: see prec.]
1. The English name for plants of the genus Aquilegia, esp. the long-cultivated A. vulgaris, or common columbine, the inverted flower of which has some resemblance to five pigeons clustered together.
(The horned nectaries suggested to an earlier age allusions to cuckoldry: cf. quots. 1602–5.)
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., v. (Percy Soc.), 26. The primerole he passeth, the parvenke of pris … Coynte ase columbine, such hire cunde ys.
a. 1400. Pistel of Susan, 111. Columbyne and Charuwe.
c. 1450. Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.), 42.
1494. Fabyan, VII. 587. The seconde course Gely coloured with columbyne floures.
1530. Palsgr., 207/1. Columbyne floure, cocquelourde.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., April, 136. Bring hether the Pincke and purple Cullambine.
1602. Shaks., Ham., IV. v. 180. There ’s Fennell for you, and Columbines: ther ’s Rew for you, and heere ’s some for me.
1605. Chapman, All Fools. What ’s that? a columbine? No: that thankless flower grows not in my garden.
1856. Bryant, To Fringed Gentian, ii. Columbines, in purple dressed, Nod o’er the ground-bird’s hidden nest.
a. 1861. Mrs. Browning, Lost Bower, xxiv. The large-leaved columbine.
† 2. A name for Verbena officinalis. Obs.
[c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 170. Berbena … ys culfron swiðe hiwcuð, þanan hy eac sum þeodscipe columbinam hateð.]
c. 1450. Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.), 142.
1597. Gerard, Herbal, 581. Veruain is called … of some Pigeons grasse, or Columbine, bicause Pigeons are delighted to be amongst it.
† 3. Feathered Columbine: ‘a frequent book-name for Thalictrum aquilegifolium, an old-fashioned garden plant, which Parkinson calls Tufted Colombine’ (Britten and Holland). Obs.
1629. Parkinson, Paradisus, 274. Thalictrum Hispanicum album, White Spanish tufted Colombines. Thalictrum Montanum purpureum, Purple tufted Colombines.
† 4. An ornament in the form of the flower. Obs.
[1436. E. E. Wills (1882), 106. A stondynge cuppe gilt, shapp of a columbyn.]
1459. Inv. Sir J Fastolf, in Paston Lett., I. 473. Item, j. gobelet, gilt, with j. columbyne in the bottom.
1491. Will of Bufford (Somerset Ho.). A colombyne of siluer.
1554. Bury Wills (1850), 145. Oon flat silver pece wt a collumbyne in the bottome.
5. attrib. and comb.
1657. W. Coles, Adam in Eden, ii. 4. Columbine leafed Pyony.
1747. Wesley, Prim. Physick (1762), 83. A Tea-Spoonful of Columbine-seeds powder’d, thrice a Day.
