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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-nĕmə-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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 18, 2025

Sea anemone isn’t braised and paired with glass noodles.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 18, 2025

Losing a foot caused mild changes, while the anemone being cut in half led to significant remodelling.

From Science Daily Nov. 29, 2024

While some regenerating animals like salamanders and fish focus on restoring lost parts in proportion to what remains, this sea anemone takes a different approach.

From Science Daily Nov. 29, 2024

The grass swayed and rustled around her like the tentacles of a gigantic undersea anemone.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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

From Science Daily Jun. 30, 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

Photos show the couple surrounded by roses, anemones, delphiniums and hydrangeas which appear to be set up in woodland with strategically placed urns and an archway, wedding florist Nicola Paul told the BBC.

From BBC Aug. 26, 2025

It uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans to eat — a feeding strategy also used by anemones and some jellies.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 14, 2024

In the spring there would be pale blue violets and primroses, goldilocks, wood anemones, and white Stellaria.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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