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clematis

[ klem-uh-tis, kli-mat-is ]
/ ˈklɛm ə tɪs, klɪˈmæt ɪs /
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noun

any of numerous plants or woody vines of the genus Clematis, including many species cultivated for their showy, variously colored flowers.

Nearby words

cleistogamy, cleistothecium, cleland, clem, clemastine fumarate, clematis, clemenceau, clemenceau, georges, clemency, clemens, clemens, roger
Compare traveler's-joy, virgin's-bower.

Origin of clematis

1545–55; < Latin < Greek klēmatís name of several climbing plants
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clematis

British Dictionary definitions for clematis

clematis

/ (ˈklɛmətɪs, kləˈmeɪtɪs) /

noun

any N temperate ranunculaceous climbing plant or erect shrub of the genus Clematis, having plumelike fruits. Many species are cultivated for their large colourful flowersSee also traveller's joy

Word Origin for clematis

C16: from Latin, from Greek klēmatis climbing plant, brushwood, from klēma twig
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

Word Origin and History for clematis

Clematis

n.

plant genus, 1550s, "periwinkle," from Latin Clematis, from Greek klematis, in Dioscorides as the name of a climbing or trailing plant (OED says probably the periwinkle) with long and lithe branches, diminutive of klema "vine-branch, shoot or twig broken off" (for grafting), from klan "to break" (see clastic).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper