heliotrope

[ hee-lee-uh-trohp, heel-yuh- or, especially British, hel-yuh- ]

/ ˈhi li əˌtroʊp, ˈhil yə- or, especially British, ˈhɛl yə- /

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See synonyms for heliotrope on Thesaurus.com

noun

any hairy plant belonging to the genus Heliotropium, of the borage family, as H. arborescens, cultivated for its small, fragrant purple flowers.

any of various other plants, as the valerian or the winter heliotrope.

any plant that turns toward the sun.

a light tint of purple; reddish lavender.

Surveying. an arrangement of mirrors for reflecting sunlight from a distant point to an observation station.

bloodstone.

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Origin of heliotrope

1580–90; <Middle French héliotrope<Latin hēliotropium<Greek hēliotrópion (see helio-, -trope); compare Middle English elitropium, elitropius,Old English eliotropus<Medieval Latin

Words nearby heliotrope

helioscope, heliosphere, heliostat, heliotaxis, heliotherapy, heliotrope, heliotropic, heliotropin, heliotropism, heliotype, heliozoan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heliotrope in a sentence

Delicate, refined, perfectly poised, and Kitty beside her like a sunflower to a sprig of heliotrope!
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Was this garden, which was all white, in any way connected with the sunbeams and heliotrope?
Scottish Ghost Stories|Elliott O'Donnell
Heliotrope is the name of the scent, my dear, but please do not allude to it again.
Scottish Ghost Stories|Elliott O'Donnell
The coat, hanging open, displayed a soft shirt of no uncertain shade of heliotrope.
Left Tackle Thayer|Ralph Henry Barbour

It was the Heliotrope or Solsequium or Turnesol of our forefathers, and is the flower often alluded to under that name.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare|Henry Nicholson Ellacombe

British Dictionary definitions for heliotrope

heliotrope

/ (ˈhiːlɪəˌtrəʊp, ˈhɛljə-) /

noun

any boraginaceous plant of the genus Heliotropium, esp the South American H. arborescens, cultivated for its small fragrant purple flowers

garden heliotrope a widely cultivated valerian, Valeriana officinalis, with clusters of small pink, purple, or white flowers

any of various plants that turn towards the sun

a bluish-violet to purple colour
(as adjective)a heliotrope dress

an instrument used in geodetic surveying employing the sun's rays reflected by a mirror as a signal for the sighting of stations over long distances

another name for bloodstone

Word Origin for heliotrope

C17: from Latin hēliotropium, from Greek hēliotropion, from hēlios sun + trepein to turn

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

heliotrope

Origin of heliotrope

Words nearby heliotrope

Words related to heliotrope

How to use heliotrope in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heliotrope

Word Origin for heliotrope