gloxinia

American

[glok-sin-ee-uh] / glɒkˈsɪn i ə /

noun

any of several horticultural varieties of a plant belonging to the genus Sinningia, of the gesneria family, especially S. speciosa, having large white, red, or purple bell-shaped flowers.
any plant of the genus Gloxinia, of Central and South America, having bluish, white, or pink flowers.

gloxinia British

/ ɡlɒkˈsɪnɪə /

noun

any of several tropical plants of the genus Sinningia, esp the South American S. speciosa, cultivated for its large white, red, or purple bell-shaped flowers: family Gesneriaceae

"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 gloxinia

Named after Benjamin P. Gloxin (flourished 1785), German physician and botanist; see -ia

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.

A big, soft-spoken man with kindly "Please grow" eyes, Shafer patiently fights the presence of mildew on his gloxinia and mill cats in his potting soil.

From Time Magazine Archive

Other plants, such as gloxinia and begonia, are known to have the power of bringing forth a new, complete plant from each of their leaves.

From Man or Matter by Lehrs, Ernst

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