azalea

American  

[uh-zeyl-yuh] / əˈzeɪl yə /

noun

1. any of numerous shrubs belonging to a particular group (Azalea) of the genus Rhododendron, of the heath family, comprising species with handsome flower clusters of various colors, some of which are familiar in cultivation: the group was formerly the botanical genus Azalea but is now a horticultural classification.

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azalea British  

/ əˈzeɪljə /

noun

1. any ericaceous plant of the group Azalea, formerly a separate genus but now included in the genus Rhododendron: cultivated for their showy pink or purple flowers

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Etymology

Origin of azalea

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek azaléa, noun use of feminine of azaléos dry; so named because it grows in dry soil

Example Sentences

He might be plucking an azalea in “Freud’s Last Session,” or watching a grandson fly a model rocket in “Armageddon Time.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024

Raymond Yoshimura would go on to hybridize several plants, including the Mission Bell azalea that became a popular draw for the nursery, Swanton said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2023

Years ago, whenever an evergreen azalea was transplanted out of a protected nursery area into the garden-to-be, the animals would have at it.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2022

She later found a couple of adult cicadas in an azalea near her condo.

From Washington Post • May 22, 2022

As he ran up the porch steps, he could hear them whispering about the big shade trees, the cushiony grass, his mother’s tidy azalea bushes.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez