bougainvillea

[ boo-guhn-vil-ee-uh, -vil-yuh, boh- ]

/ ˌbu gənˈvɪl i ə, -ˈvɪl yə, ˌboʊ- /

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noun

any of several shrubs or vines of the genus Bougainvillea, native to South America, having small flowers with showy, variously colored bracts, and often cultivated in warm regions.

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Origin of bougainvillea

1789; <New Latin, named after L. A. de Bougainville

Words nearby bougainvillea

boudoir, boudoir grand, bouffant, bouffe, Bougainville, bougainvillea, bough, boughed, boughpot, bought, boughten

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bougainvillea in a sentence

A grove of Hawaiian “Autograph” trees and pink bougainvillea, not to mention fragrant jasmine, create a lush garden environment.
The Elegant EDITION|Daily Beast Promotions|October 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It is our old friend the bougainvillea, but here it grows into a great tree instead of a creeper.
Round the Wonderful World|G. E. Mitton
We said we wanted to see bougainvillea—a lot of bougainvillea, in a great mass together, as we had seen it from the ship.
The Ship Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine
We did get a guide at last who knew where the bougainvillea house was, but it was too late then to go to it.
The Ship Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine

It did not matter; there were flowers enough everywhere and bougainvillea on many walls.
The Ship Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine
These have given quite a new aspect to the vegetation, while bright colour is imparted by species of Bougainvillea and Poinsettia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bougainvillea

bougainvillea

bougainvillaea

/ (ˌbuːɡənˈvɪlɪə) /

noun

any tropical woody nyctaginaceous widely cultivated climbing plant of the genus Bougainvillea, having inconspicuous flowers surrounded by showy red or purple bracts

Word Origin for bougainvillea

C19: New Latin, named after Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), French navigator

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