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hydrangea

[hahy-dreyn-juh, -jee-uh, -dran-]
noun
  1. any shrub belonging to the genus Hydrangea, of the saxifrage family, several species of which are cultivated for their large, showy flower clusters of white, pink, or blue.
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Origin of hydrangea

< New Latin (Linnaeus) < Greek hydr- hydr-1 + New Latin angea, feminine noun based on Greek angeîon vessel; so called from cup-shaped seed capsule
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hydrangea

Historical Examples

  • One had settled on the hydrangea plant that filled the hearth.

    Beyond

    John Galsworthy

  • A hydrangea has no scent; that is why we get tired of it, for all its loveliness.

  • The only known flower which can be dissected is the Hydrangea japonica.

  • Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, the finest of all hardy shrubs.

    A Woman's Hardy Garden

    Helena Rutherfurd Ely

  • By some the Hydrangea is grown as a standard, and is very effective when in beauty.

British Dictionary definitions for hydrangea

hydrangea

noun
  1. any shrub or tree of the Asian and American genus Hydrangea, cultivated for their large clusters of white, pink, or blue flowers: family Hydrangeaceae
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Word Origin

C18: from New Latin, from Greek hudōr water + angeion vessel: probably from the cup-shaped fruit
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

Word Origin and History for hydrangea

n.

1753, coined in Modern Latin by Linnæus as compound of Greek hydr-, stem of hydor "water" (see water (n.1)) + angeion "vessel, capsule" (see angio-); so called from the shrub's cup-shaped seed pods.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper