zinnia

[ zin-ee-uh ]

noun
  1. any of several composite plants of the genus Zinnia, native to Mexico and adjacent areas, especially the widely cultivated species Z. elegans, having variously colored, many-rayed flower heads.

Origin of zinnia

1
1760–70; <New Latin, named after J. G. Zinn (1727–59), German botanist; see -ia

Words Nearby zinnia

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

How to use zinnia in a sentence

  • They started with a zinnia, extracting live cells from its leaves and culturing them in a liquid growth medium so they would metabolize and proliferate.

    Wood without trees | Daniel Ackerman | April 28, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
  • The zinnia is an excellent plant where a low hedge is desired.

    Amateur Gardencraft | Eben E. Rexford
  • zinnia, many colours; one and one-half to two feet; July, August and September.

    A Woman's Hardy Garden | Helena Rutherfurd Ely
  • These zinnia seeds do not have the little prongs, because the zinnia does not need them.

  • She left the papers with Chub, and since the staff seemed busy, she went on home and started weeding the zinnia bed.

    Joan of the Journal | Helen Diehl Olds

British Dictionary definitions for zinnia

zinnia

/ (ˈzɪnɪə) /


noun
  1. any annual or perennial plant of the genus Zinnia, of tropical and subtropical America, having solitary heads of brightly coloured flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

Origin of zinnia

1
C18: named after J. G. Zinn (died 1759), German botanist

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