bougainvillea

[ boo-guh n-vil-ee-uh, -vil-yuh, boh- ]
/ ˌbu gənˈvɪl i ə, -ˈvɪl yə, ˌboʊ- /

noun

any of several shrubs or vines of the genus Bougainvillea, native to South America, having small flowers with showy, variously colored bracts, and often cultivated in warm regions.

Origin of bougainvillea

1789; < New Latin, named after L. A. de Bougainville

Words nearby bougainvillea

Example sentences from the Web for bougainvillea

British Dictionary definitions for bougainvillea

bougainvillea

bougainvillaea

/ (ˌbuːɡənˈvɪlɪə) /

noun

any tropical woody nyctaginaceous widely cultivated climbing plant of the genus Bougainvillea, having inconspicuous flowers surrounded by showy red or purple bracts

Word Origin for bougainvillea

C19: New Latin, named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), French navigator