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.

See Examples For:

hollyhock

The hollyhock pattern from House of Hackney appears throughout Weger’s apartment, even on this fabric lampshade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

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

Annie Oakley always made hers very homey, with a garden outside of primrose, geranium, and hollyhock.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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