[ak-wuh-lee-jee-uh, ey-kwuh-] 
| any plant belonging to the genus Aquilegia, of the buttercup family, comprising the columbines. |
| aq·ui·le·gi·a (āk'wə-lē'jē-ə, -lē'jə) n. See columbine. [Medieval Latin aquilēgia.] |
| col·um·bine (kŏl'əm-bīn') n. Any of various perennial herbs of the genus Aquilegia native to north temperate regions, cultivated for their showy, variously colored flowers that have petals with long hollow spurs. Also called aquilegia. [Middle English, from Medieval Latin columbīna, from feminine of Latin columbīnus, dovelike (from the resemblance of the inverted flower to a cluster of doves), from columba, dove.] |