dahlia
Americannoun
-
dahlias
plural
-
any composite plant of the genus Dahlia, native to Mexico and Central America and widely cultivated for its showy, variously colored flower heads.
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the flower or tuberous root of a dahlia.
-
a pale violet or amethyst color.
adjective
noun
-
any herbaceous perennial plant of the Mexican genus Dahlia , having showy flowers and tuberous roots, esp any horticultural variety derived from D. pinnata : family Asteraceae (composites)
-
the flower or root of any of these plants
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dahlia
1791; < New Latin, named after Anders Dahl (died 1789), Swedish botanist; see -ia
Vocabulary lists containing dahlia
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:
“I didn’t want to completely lose my old self, but I wanted to let it wilt in a way,” they say, explaining how they saw themselves reflected in the dahlia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
A total eclipse of the sun is said to look like a black dahlia or a monochrome sunflower.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
It was black with long sleeves in tulle decorated with pleated ruffles in a dahlia print.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
Named for the dahlia flower whose petals bloom in concentric arrays , the dahliagram's "petals" illustrate the relative impact of different pull and push factors contributing to human behavior over time.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2023
“Because you’re silly,” he said, tossing her the head of a flower, a wilted dahlia, which she jammed into her hair.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
"When I first started, there were a lot of the 'old boy gardeners', who loved dahlias, chrysanthemums, the old fashioned plants," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2025
I reached out to a couple of local flower farmers for their best tips on growing dahlias in the Puget Sound region:
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Tables will be festooned with pink roses, Australian eucalyptus, dahlias and delphiniums.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 25, 2023
The experience has empowered her to consider next year’s growing season, which she hopes will include dahlias, foxglove and amaranth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Now he saw her as a frail woman content to do tiny things; to grow and cultivate small life that would not hurt her if it died: rhododendron, goldfish, dahlias, geraniums, imperial tulips.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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