clematis

[ klem-uh-tis, kli-mat-is ]

/ ˈklɛm ə tɪs, klɪˈmæt ɪs /

noun

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

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Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following bird names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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Words nearby clematis

cleistogamy, cleistothecium, cleland, clem, clemastine fumarate, clematis, clemenceau, clemenceau, georges, clemency, clemens, clemens, samuel l.

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for clematis

I wonder if she would not like some of the clematis I saw twining about a dead tree by the pond.
Autumn Leaves|Various
Still other tendrils, as those of the sweet-pea and clematis, are parts of the leaf.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
Mrs. Snow came in two or three times 127 to look at Clematis, and feel her pulse.
Clematis|Bertha B. Cobb
Then she raised her pale face, and he saw that it was Clematis.
Clematis|Bertha B. Cobb

They recalled the arbour with clematis, the dresses she had worn, the furniture of her room, the whole of her house.
Madame Bovary|Gustave Flaubert

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