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anemone

American  
[uh-nem-uh-nee] / əˈnɛm əˌni /

noun

  • anemones
    plural
  1. any of various plants belonging to the genus Anemone, of the buttercup family, having petallike sepals and including several wild species with white flowers as well as others cultivated for their showy flowers in a variety of colors.

  2. sea anemone.


anemone British  
/ əˈnɛmənɪ /

noun

  1. any ranunculaceous woodland plant of the genus Anemone of N temperate regions, such as the white-flowered A. nemorosa ( wood anemone or windflower ). Some cultivated anemones have lilac, pale blue, pink, purple, or red flowers See also pasqueflower Compare sea anemone

"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

anemone Scientific  
/ ə-nĕm′ə-nē /

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of anemone

1545–55; < Latin < Greek: literally, daughter of the wind, equivalent to ánem ( os ) wind + -ōnē feminine patronymic suffix; see -one


Explanation

An anemone is a brightly colored flower. Another name for an anemone is a "windflower." You might decide to plant anemones in your garden if you want a colorful, summer-blooming plant. Another kind of anemone is a "sea anemone," which is not a plant at all, but a flower-like sea creature that attaches itself to a surface and feeds on fish and crustaceans. Anemone is a Greek word that means "windflower" or literally "daughter of the wind," from anemos, "wind," and the feminine suffix -one.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing anemone

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:

It was a leftover structure from a deep-sea anemone, specifically the base that once attached the animal to the seafloor.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026

He receives live sea anemone, which he presents tableside to guests so they can better understand what they are eating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

“Sea anemone is very textural, and requires a lot of preparation,” Hudda explains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

The sprawling site, in a lush valley by the confluence of two rivers, is at its prettiest in the spring, teeming with pink-flowering Judas trees, small blue irises and the occasional red anemone.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

Every year the Greek girls mourned for him and every year they rejoiced when his flower, the blood-red anemone, the windflower, was seen blooming again.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

To investigate how old this defense system might be, the researchers studied sea anemones.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026

Similar to Portuguese man o' war, by-the-wind sailors are colonies of animals related to sea anemones and corals, and they possess stinging cells.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

Inside the egg, a surprise awaits: a bouquet of flowers made of white quartz wood anemones, each flower with gold wire stem and stamens.

From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025

On the windowsills, Tyson had set out water-filled vases with sea anemones and strange glowing plants from the bottom of the ocean, more beautiful than any flower bouquets the Demeter kids could whip up.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

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