gardenia
Americannoun
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gardenias
plural
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any evergreen tree or shrub belonging to the genus Gardenia, of the madder family, native to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, cultivated for its usually large, fragrant white flowers.
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the flower of any of these plants.
noun
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any evergreen shrub or tree of the Old World tropical rubiaceous genus Gardenia, cultivated for their large fragrant waxlike typically white flowers
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the flower of any of these shrubs
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gardenia
< New Latin (1760), after Alexander Garden (1730–91), American physician; see -ia
Vocabulary lists containing gardenia
Some Obscure Eponyms
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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:
Yield makes minimalist citronella candles and incense sticks, lightly fragranced with gardenia, eucalyptus and citronella.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
And a genipin-derived blue from gardenia fruits that has long been used in parts of Asia could soon enter the U.S. and international markets, too.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 14, 2023
Both are customizable with a selection of 30 odors, including gardenia, caramel, ginger, clove, mojito and coconut milk.
From Scientific American ● May 9, 2023
Simply named “Whitney,” the scent features notes of pear and citrus, balanced by gardenia, ylang-ylang and jasmine.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2022
They had smelled the distant wood smoke and the pattering stream, the hint of mutara, the wild gardenia, on the breeze.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
Busy gardeners should look for low-maintenance plants like ZZ plants, Chinese evergreens, pothos and philodendrons, while others may choose ferns, peace lilies, baby tears and gardenias that require a bit more attention and care.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
Like everything else, they were different this year — red gardenias instead of roses.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2020
As hummingbirds dart among arbutus trees, the gardenias and carissa flowering beneath a jacaranda scent the air near the door.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2019
Each week, Gertrude packed two-pound bags of shrimp to sell at the farmers’ market, along with petunias and gardenias from her yard.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 15, 2019
The girls produced plates of sadza, white as gardenias, and pots of steaming relish.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
