My mother tongue is not English, and I have problem understanding the common name of some kinds of amaranthus - 'Love Lies Bleeding'. Can some of you explain it to me?
-
1Love lies bleeding is when you have heartache. I think it is from a play from the 1600s, but this seems actually more a question for english.stackexchange.com. But the name is probably given to the plant because of the shape of the flowers, they are red and drooping kind of form.– bennJul 8, 2019 at 12:34
1 Answer
Common names might be ancient or fairly recent; all are largely irrelevant because they differ from region to region. In the case of 'love lies bleeding', it carries the meaning of hopelessness (from Victorian times) but also, reputedly, some religious significance, see article below