hebe

[ hee-bee ]

/ ˈhi bi /

Save This Word!

noun

any of various shrubs and trees belonging to the genus Hebe, of the figwort family, native mostly to New Zealand, having evergreen leaves and clusters or spikes of white, pink, or purple flowers.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of hebe

<New Latin (1789), apparently after Hebe

Words nearby hebe

Hebbel, hebdomad, hebdomadal, Hebdomadal Council, hebdomadary, hebe, Hebei, hebephrenia, Heber, Heberden, Heberden's nodes

Other definitions for hebe (2 of 3)

Hebe¹

[ heeb ]

/ hib /

noun Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.

a contemptuous term used to refer to a Jew.

Origin of Hebe

First recorded in 1930–35; shortening of Hebrew

Other definitions for hebe (3 of 3)

Hebe²

[ hee-bee ]

/ ˈhi bi /

noun

Classical Mythology. a goddess of youth and spring, the daughter of Zeus and Hera, and wife of Hercules.

How to use hebe in a sentence

Craney was about forty years old at the time of the Hebe Maitland's loss, and Sadler about the same.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton
But on the Hebe Maitland the men were running around with paint pots and hauling out canvas from below.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton
He'd been the wildest of us all in the Hebe Maitland days, and always acted youthful for his years.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton
I thought of Clyde and that odd talk in the cabin of the Hebe Maitland, where all my deep-sea goings began.
The Belted Seas|Arthur Colton

As for the Hebe and the Naiad, they had vanished in the northern board, and as yet there were no signs of their return.
A Middy of the King|Harry Collingwood

British Dictionary definitions for hebe

Hebe

/ (ˈhiːbɪ) /

noun

Greek myth the goddess of youth and spring, daughter of Zeus and Hera and wife of Hercules

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