English
corolla
Corolla comes from Latin corōlla ‘small garland, chaplet or wreath’, from Ancient Greek κορώνη ‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνη1‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōna2‘garland, chaplet, wreath’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōlla2‘small garland, chaplet or wreath’diminutive of corōna
- Englishearliest quotation 1974corolla2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin corona
- 2 Wiktionary, English corolla
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur: “Our wet fingers touched and we formed a circle…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin corona‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνηWiktionary, Latin corona‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōnaWiktionary, English corolla‘garland, chaplet, wreath’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōllaWiktionary, English corolla‘small garland, chaplet or wreath’diminutive of corōna
- Englishearliest quotation 1974corollaWiktionary, English corolla. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur: “Our wet fingers touched and we formed a circle…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’
share, short, card, across, cancer, screen, cross, shirt, circle, circuit, score, crucial, curve, scare, circus, skirt, carnival, circulation, curb, scar, scrutiny, shrine, crest, circa, cancellation, shear, incarceration, shred, carnage, raffle, carcinoma, scorpion, circulate, 123 more
through Ancient Greek κορώνη ‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’
through Latin corōna ‘garland, chaplet, wreath’
Today it means
noun The outermost-but-one whorl of a flower, composed of petals, when it is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl (the calyx); it usually comprises the petal, which may be fused.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “corolla”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin corona. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / corolla