ixia

American

[ik-see-uh] / ˈɪk si ə /

noun

any of various southern African plants of the genus Ixia, of the iris family, having sword-shaped leaves and showy, ornamental flowers.

ixia British

/ ˈɪksɪə /

noun

any plant of the iridaceous genus Ixia, of southern Africa, having showy ornamental funnel-shaped 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 ixia

< New Latin (Linnaeus) < Greek ixía birdlime, equivalent to ix ( ós ) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ia -ia

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.

She went to the chimney-piece, and employed herself in making a delicate piece of ixia get a better view of itself in the looking-glass.

From Abbeychurch by Yonge, Charlotte Mary

One ixia, a very beautiful kind, of the morasses around Angollála, springs up immediately after the termination of the rains.

From The Highlands of Ethiopia by Harris, William Cornwallis

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