dahlia
Americannoun
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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
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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 dahlia in active growth is a juicy plant.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
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
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
She was bent over a dahlia bush with a pair of scissors.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
He said the risk of frost would pass in the south soon, allowing "frost-tender plants" such as dahlias and tomatoes to be planted outside.
From BBC ● May 1, 2025
It’s time to pinch your dahlias when the plants are about 12 inches tall or have four sets of leaves.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
However, Mr Armitage said her "very striking" composition of red and orange late summer flowers, which included dahlias, crocosmia and rose hips, left judges "bowled over" with its technical quality.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2023
Tables will be festooned with pink roses, Australian eucalyptus, dahlias and delphiniums.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 25, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
