passionflower

[ pash-uh n-flou-er ]
/ ˈpæʃ ənˌflaʊ ər /

noun

any chiefly American climbing vine or shrub of the genus Passiflora, having showy flowers and a pulpy berry or fruit that in some species is edible.

Origin of passionflower

1605–15; translation of New Latin flōs passiōnis flower of the Passion; so named because the parts of the flower were imagined as symbolic of the objects and events of Christ's Passion

Example sentences from the Web for passionflower

  • She has trailed the passionflower wi' her ain hands until it is nourishing.

    Willy Reilly |William Carleton

British Dictionary definitions for passionflower

passionflower
/ (ˈpæʃənˌflaʊə) /

noun

any passifloraceous plant of the tropical American genus Passiflora, cultivated for their red, yellow, greenish, or purple showy flowers: some species have edible fruit See also granadilla

Word Origin for passionflower

C17: so called from the alleged resemblance between parts of the flower and the instruments of Christ's crucifixion