gardenia
[ gahr-dee-nyuh, -nee-uh ]
/ gɑrˈdi nyə, -ni ə /
noun
any evergreen tree or shrub belonging to the genus Gardenia, of the madder family, native to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, cultivated for its usually large, fragrant white flowers.
the flower of any of these plants.
Origin of gardenia
< New Latin (1760), after Alexander
Garden (1730–91), American physician; see
-ia
Words nearby gardenia
garden webworm,
garden-path,
garden-variety,
gardena,
gardener,
gardenia,
gardening,
gardening leave,
garderobe,
gardiner,
gardner
Example sentences from the Web for gardenia
British Dictionary definitions for gardenia
gardenia
/ (ɡɑːˈdiːnɪə) /
noun
any evergreen shrub or tree of the Old World tropical rubiaceous genus Gardenia, cultivated for their large fragrant waxlike typically white flowers
the flower of any of these shrubs
Word Origin for gardenia
C18: New Latin, named after Dr Alexander
Garden (1730–91), American botanist