gardenia
Americannoun
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gardenias
plural
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any evergreen tree or shrub belonging to the genus Gardenia, of the madder family, native to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, cultivated for its usually large, fragrant white flowers.
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the flower of any of these plants.
noun
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any evergreen shrub or tree of the Old World tropical rubiaceous genus Gardenia, cultivated for their large fragrant waxlike typically white flowers
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the flower of any of these shrubs
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gardenia
< New Latin (1760), after Alexander Garden (1730–91), American physician; see -ia
Vocabulary lists containing gardenia
Some Obscure Eponyms
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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:
A much larger 2016 fire in the Waianae mountains on the other side of Oahu took out one of the last remaining populations of a rare tree gardenia, said Gon.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2023
Yield makes minimalist citronella candles and incense sticks, lightly fragranced with gardenia, eucalyptus and citronella.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
And a genipin-derived blue from gardenia fruits that has long been used in parts of Asia could soon enter the U.S. and international markets, too.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 14, 2023
Both are customizable with a selection of 30 odors, including gardenia, caramel, ginger, clove, mojito and coconut milk.
From Scientific American ● May 9, 2023
Before the child could think, her words were hanging in the gardenia air.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
When Chavarria was being honored as the CFDA’s Menswear Designer of the Year in 2023, he arrived with Tokischa and Rauw Alejandro, all wearing complementary outfits that featured oversize silk gardenias.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025
Coca-Cola is a perfect fertilizer for gardenias, azaleas and grass.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
Each week, Gertrude packed two-pound bags of shrimp to sell at the farmers’ market, along with petunias and gardenias from her yard.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 15, 2019
In every home that she has lived in as an adult, she says she has planted a gardenia bush, because the smell of gardenias reminds her of her mother.
From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2016
They interrupted themselves for a moment to sing a synthetic quartet, with full super-orchestral accompaniment and gardenias on the scent organ.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
