geranium
Americannoun
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geraniums
plural
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any of numerous plants of the genus Geranium, which comprises the crane's-bills.
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the wild geranium, G. maculatum, of eastern North America, having loose clusters of lavender flowers.
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Also called stork's-bill. any of various plants of the allied genus Pelargonium, native to southern Africa, having showy flowers or fragrant leaves, widely cultivated in gardens and as houseplants.
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a flower of this plant.
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a vivid red color.
noun
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any cultivated geraniaceous plant of the genus Pelargonium , having scarlet, pink, or white showy flowers See also pelargonium rose geranium lemon geranium
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any geraniaceous plant of the genus Geranium, such as cranesbill and herb Robert, having divided leaves and pink or purplish flowers
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a strong red to a moderate or strong pink colour
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of geranium
1540–50; < New Latin, for Latin geranion < Greek geránion name for various plants the fruit of which was thought to resemble a crane's bill, derivative of géranos crane; akin to Latin grūs
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:
These microbes are known to contaminate white wine, causing spoilage and unpleasant odors, including nail polish remover, geranium and "mousy" odors.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2024
To illustrate this, she collected a chocolate-scented geranium and invited a sniff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2023
With the right container, simple is satisfying: Think of fat terra-cotta rounds overflowing with a single kind of scented-leafed geranium, or a yellow water lily floating in a cobalt blue urn.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023
Ms. Wong claimed that essential oils containing lemon and geranium prevented the binding of the COVID-19 virus to human cells, and that “a lot of studies” showed oregano also worked against coronavirus.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 3, 2023
Theresa’s geranium they moved outside, with vows to water it every single day.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
He first alarms Dickens by attempting to kiss him and then infuriates him by harvesting geraniums from the garden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Speaking surrounded by geraniums, he said he was happy to take any form of payment, although card was slightly easier albeit slower to process.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025
And the plant orders that include geraniums and eucalyptus—once considered to be closely related—are in fact quite distant from each other.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 23, 2024
You may find certain container annuals beginning to return with fewer frosts, like geraniums and calibrachoa.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
Earl lives next door in Edna’s basement, behind the flower boxes Edna paints green each year, behind the dusty geraniums.
From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
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.
