phacelia

[ fuh-see-lee-uh ]

noun

any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Phacelia, of the waterleaf family, chiefly of the western U.S. and Mexico, having clusters of violet, blue, or white flowers.

Origin of phacelia

<New Latin (1789), equivalent to Greek phákel(os) bundle (referring to the clustered flowers) + New Latin -ia-ia

Words Nearby phacelia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use phacelia in a sentence

The name phacelia is from a Greek word signifying a fascicle, or bunch, and refers to the fascicled or clustered flower-racemes.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits | Mary Elizabeth Parsons
It is needless to say that this is not a true heliotrope, but belongs to the closely allied genus, phacelia.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits | Mary Elizabeth Parsons

British Dictionary definitions for phacelia

phacelia

/ (fəˈsiːlɪə) /

noun

any plant of the mostly annual American genus Phacelia, esp P. campanularia, grown for its large, deep blue bell flowers: family Hydrophyllaceae

Origin of phacelia

New Latin, from Greek phakelos cluster (from the habit of the flowers) + -ia

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

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