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

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