hibiscus

[ hahy-bis-kuhs, hi- ]

/ haɪˈbɪs kəs, hɪ- /

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noun, plural hi·bis·cus·es.

Also called China rose. a woody plant, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, of the mallow family, having large, showy flowers: the state flower of Hawaii.

any of numerous other plants, shrubs, or trees of the genus Hibiscus, characterized by lobate or dentate leaves and usually profusely blooming flowers.

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Origin of hibiscus

1700–10; <New Latin, Latin <Greek hibískos mallow

Words nearby hibiscus

Hibernicize, Hiberno-, Hiberno-English, hibernoma, Hiberno-Saxon, hibiscus, Hib vaccine, hic, hiccup, hic et ubique, Hichens

How to use hibiscus in a sentence

To accompany breakfast or lunch, there's hibiscus lavender tea or locally roasted Bumper Crop coffee.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café|Jane & Michael Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bulbs strung among branches in the overhead wild hibiscus tree form a radiant canopy.
A Magical Meal at Louie’s Backyard in the Conch Republic|Jane & Michael Stern|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Drink: Agua Fresca, especially Flor de Jamaica, hibiscus flower.
Nine Amazing Places To Skinny Dip Around The World|Erin Cunningham|September 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His left hand was slung to his chest by a piece of green hibiscus bark, which was passed round his neck and roughly tied.
The Brothers-In-Law: A Tale Of The Equatorial Islands; and The Brass Gun Of The Buccaneers|Louis Becke

She used to stick hibiscus flowers in them red curtains and stand off and admire me by the hour.
Captain Scraggs|Peter B. Kyne
Hibiscus is very easy to raise, and should be planted among and along the edge of shrubbery.
A Woman's Hardy Garden|Helena Rutherfurd Ely
The plumed Hibiscus is found in florists catalogues described as double.
The Bbur-nma in English|Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
A quantity of hibiscus bark was also collected, to be used in the manufacture of cord for fishing-lines, nets, etcetera.
The Island Home|Richard Archer

British Dictionary definitions for hibiscus

hibiscus

/ (haɪˈbɪskəs) /

noun plural -cuses

any plant of the chiefly tropical and subtropical malvaceous genus Hibiscus, esp H. rosa-sinensis, cultivated for its large brightly coloured flowers

Word Origin for hibiscus

C18: from Latin, from Greek hibiskos marsh mallow

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