ceanothus

[ see-uh-noh-thuh s ]

/ ˌsi əˈnoʊ θəs /

noun, plural ce·a·no·thus·es.

any North American shrub or small tree of the largely western genus Ceanothus, having clusters of small white or blue flowers.

Nearby words

Origin of ceanothus

< New Latin (Linnaeus) < Greek keánōthos a species of thistle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ceanothus

The azaleas were already budding, the ceanothus getting ready its lilac livery for spring.
Selected Stories|Bret Harte
It led far up the ridge into an open place surrounded by a hedge-like growth of ceanothus chaparral.
My First Summer in the Sierra|John Muir
The genus Ceanothus is well known from the beautiful C. azureus.
Botany for Ladies|Jane Loudon
Blue myrtle (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus) is a California species, sometimes called wild lilac or blue blossoms.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson

The azaleas were already budding; the ceanothus getting ready its lilac livery for spring.
The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales|Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for ceanothus

ceanothus

/ (ˌsiːəˈnəʊθəs) /

noun

any shrub of the North American rhamnaceous genus Ceanothus: grown for their ornamental, often blue, flower clusters

Word Origin for ceanothus

C19: New Latin, from Greek keanōthos a kind of thistle

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