four-o'clock

[fawr-uh-klok, fohr-]

noun

1. a common garden plant, Mirabilis jalapa, of the four-o'clock family, having tubular red, white, yellow, or variegated flowers that open late in the afternoon.

2. any plant of the same genus.

four-o'clock

noun

1. Also called: marvel-of-Peru. a tropical American nyctaginaceous plant, Mirabilis jalapa , cultivated for its tubular yellow, red, or white flowers that open in late afternoon

2. another name for friarbird , esp the noisy friarbird ( Philemon corniculatus ): so called because of its cry

Word History and Origins

Origin of four-o'clock¹

First recorded in 1750–60