camellia

[ kuh-meel-yuh, -mee-lee-uh ]

noun
  1. any of several shrubs of the genus Camellia, especially C. japonica, native to Asia, having glossy evergreen leaves and white, pink, red, or variegated roselike flowers.

Origin of camellia

1
1745–55; named after G. J. Camellus (1661–1706), Jesuit missionary, who brought it to Europe; see -ia

Words Nearby camellia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use camellia in a sentence

  • Sir, I replied, I am no camellia, changing my colors to suit my surroundings.

    Anecdotes of the Great War | Carleton Britton Case
  • Betty looked at the programme with dazed eyes; then at the camellia.

    A Book of Ghosts | Sabine Baring-Gould
  • Her complexion faintly tinted with rose had the freshness and delicacy of the camellia.

    The Prussian Terror | Alexandre Dumas

British Dictionary definitions for camellia

camellia

/ (kəˈmiːlɪə) /


noun
  1. any ornamental shrub of the Asian genus Camellia, esp C. japonica, having glossy evergreen leaves and showy roselike flowers, usually white, pink or red in colour: family Theaceae: Also called: japonica

Origin of camellia

1
C18: New Latin, named after Georg Josef Kamel (1661–1706), Moravian Jesuit missionary, who introduced it to Europe

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012