dahlia
Americannoun
-
dahlias
plural
-
any composite plant of the genus Dahlia, native to Mexico and Central America and widely cultivated for its showy, variously colored flower heads.
-
the flower or tuberous root of a dahlia.
-
a pale violet or amethyst color.
adjective
noun
-
any herbaceous perennial plant of the Mexican genus Dahlia , having showy flowers and tuberous roots, esp any horticultural variety derived from D. pinnata : family Asteraceae (composites)
-
the flower or root of any of these plants
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dahlia
1791; < New Latin, named after Anders Dahl (died 1789), Swedish botanist; see -ia
Vocabulary lists containing dahlia
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I didn’t want to completely lose my old self, but I wanted to let it wilt in a way,” they say, explaining how they saw themselves reflected in the dahlia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
A total eclipse of the sun is said to look like a black dahlia or a monochrome sunflower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
Named for the dahlia flower whose petals bloom in concentric arrays , the dahliagram's "petals" illustrate the relative impact of different pull and push factors contributing to human behavior over time.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2023
As the dahlia shows turn up, more and more people turn up.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2023
Running down the hill on the other side was the vegetable garden, the rhubarb plot, the dahlia beds.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
"When I first started, there were a lot of the 'old boy gardeners', who loved dahlias, chrysanthemums, the old fashioned plants," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025
The tables featured papier-mâché vases, dahlias she’d grown herself and a few buckets of flowers from Little Jack Flower Farm in Snohomish.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
However, Mr Armitage said her "very striking" composition of red and orange late summer flowers, which included dahlias, crocosmia and rose hips, left judges "bowled over" with its technical quality.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2023
Tables will be festooned with pink roses, Australian eucalyptus, dahlias and delphiniums.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
"I had a garden in Maine with dahlias and columbine. And nasturtiums the color of the sun when it sets. I don't know if nasturtiums would grow here."
From "Sarah, Plain and Tall" by Patricia MacLachlan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
