hollyhock

American

[hol-ee-hok, -hawk] / ˈhɒl iˌhɒk, -ˌhɔk /

noun

any of several plants belonging to the genus Alcea (orAlthaea ), of the mallow family, native to Eurasia, especially A. rosea, a tall plant having a long cluster of showy, variously colored flowers.

hollyhock British

/ ˈhɒlɪˌhɒk /

noun

Also called (US): rose mallow. a tall widely cultivated malvaceous plant, Althaea rosea, with stout hairy stems and spikes of white, yellow, red, or purple flowers

"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 hollyhock

1225–75; Middle English holihoc, equivalent to holi holy + hoc mallow, Old English hocc

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.

Animals may raid my flower beds; a storm may knock down a freshly planted hollyhock.

From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2023

The pollen grains of various common plants like sunflower, morning glories, prairie hollyhock, oriental lily, evening primrose and castor bean — magnified 500 times and colorized in this image — display intricate patterns.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2022

Along the way, he met Barnsdall, a philanthropist, theater producer, political progressive, world traveler and lover of the hollyhock flower.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2022

It has a "sun-blistered green bench and tables ... shapely white windows" and a "row of upshooting hollyhock plants".

From The Guardian • Jul. 8, 2010

When he read the word hollyhock aloud with his finger on the word, she saw that it was long, with many lines like tall stems.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

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