petunia
Americannoun
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petunias
plural
-
any garden plant belonging to the genus Petunia, of the nightshade family, native to tropical America, having funnel-shaped flowers of various colors.
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a deep, reddish purple.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of petunia
1815–25; < New Latin < obsolete French petun tobacco < Tupi petyn; see -ia
Vocabulary lists containing petunia
English Words Derived from Indigenous Languages of the Americas
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Example Sentences
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For Stirling, the study required mastering a painstaking method for temporarily altering the levels of proteins of the petunia pistils to identify the signal-receptor protein interactions.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2024
If you’re ready for a break from the usual begonias and impatiens, try a few of these flamboyant annuals and tender perennials: ● Petunia integrifolia: A cascading petunia with little violet flowers.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2023
To give you an idea of the creativity that required, my last version included the sentence, “What the petunia was that all about?”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 9, 2020
Workers began planting about 8,000 red, white and blue petunia plants Wednesday on the state Capitol grounds.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 2019
"Maybe if we get a little, we can put some on that purple petunia and see—," she began, but George interrupted, saying, "Look, here comes Mr. Johnson now."
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
A research team led by Purdue University scientists has documented new details about how petunias use volatile organic compounds to communicate.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2024
The scientists have already shown that several common flowers, such as periwinkles, petunias, and roses can be made to glow.
From NewsForKids.net ● Jan. 19, 2024
Downstairs, a similar number were up to their elbows in dirt and petunias, making individual “memory gardens.”
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
Stars, planets, people and petunias: everything emits a special kind of radiation and will, if it sticks around long enough, evaporate into nothing.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 22, 2023
A landscaping crew was setting pink and white petunias into the new pine straw mulch around the shrubs.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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