forsythia

American

[fawr-sith-ee-uh, -sahy-thee-uh, fer-] / fɔrˈsɪθ i ə, -ˈsaɪ θi ə, fər- /

noun

a shrub belonging to the genus Forsythia, of the olive family, native to China and southeastern Europe, species of which are cultivated for their showy yellow flowers, which blossom on the bare branches in early spring.

forsythia British

/ fɔːˈsaɪθɪə /

noun

any oleaceous shrub of the genus Forsythia , native to China, Japan, and SE Europe but widely cultivated for its showy yellow bell-shaped flowers, which appear in spring before the foliage

"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

Etymology

Origin of forsythia

< New Latin, after William Forsyth (1737–1804), English horticulturist; see -ia

Vocabulary lists containing forsythia

English Words Derived from Gaelic

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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:

forsythia

The two Bronze Age teeth produced highly divergent strains of Tannerella forsythia, a bacteria implicated in gum disease.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2024

Roses, berries, dogwoods, forsythia, hydrangea, and peonies are also sold this way in winter.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2023

Outside, the city was in early bloom, the forsythia bushes glowing an electric yellow of promise.

From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2021

This transformation is even greater for the forsythia.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 2, 2021

Every May brings Atomic Bomb Awareness Month to Camillo Junior High, right after the greening grass and the yellowing forsythia.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023