petunia
Americannoun
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any garden plant belonging to the genus Petunia, of the nightshade family, native to tropical America, having funnel-shaped flowers of various colors.
-
a deep, reddish purple.
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of petunia
1815–25; < New Latin < obsolete French petun tobacco < Tupi petyn; -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.
That means replacing spring tulips and hyacinths with petunias and zinnias in summer, followed by mums and flowering kale come fall.
From Washington Times
Among the plants that attract hummingbirds are bleeding hearts, cardinal flower, impatiens and petunias.
From Seattle Times
Without the surgery petunia did not stand much of a chance.
From Washington Times
Other species, termed radially symmetrical, such as sunflower, petunia, buttercup and wild rose have far fewer abilities to bounce back.
From BBC
Around the post that holds the Main Street and Shaker Hill Road signs are petunias and datura, with its long, white, trumpet-shaped blossoms.
From Washington Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.