phlox

[ floks ]

/ flɒks /

noun

any plant of the genus Phlox, of North America, certain species of which are cultivated for their showy flowers of various colors.Compare phlox family.

the flower of this plant.

Nearby words

phlogistic, phlogiston, phlogopite, phlorizin, phloroglucinol, phlox, phlox family, phls, phlyctena, phlyctenoid, phlyctenula

Origin of phlox

1595–1605; < Medieval Latin, special use of Latin phlox < Greek phlóx a flame-colored plant, literally, flame. See phlegm, phlogistic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phlox

The phlox, however, should be taken up and divided every two or three years to obtain the best results.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916|Various
For many years, in Austin, we had iris, peonies and phlox in our garden.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916|Various
By breaking off the heads of Phlox immediately after blooming, a second crop of flowers will appear in about three weeks.
A Woman's Hardy Garden|Helena Rutherfurd Ely
It seems that changing the location of the phlox may do it good.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916|Various

She stood now in her steep mountain garden bordered with phlox and larkspur and looked far out over the long and many ridges.
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for phlox

phlox

/ (flɒks) /

noun plural phlox or phloxes

any polemoniaceous plant of the chiefly North American genus Phlox: cultivated for their clusters of white, red, or purple flowers

Word Origin for phlox

C18: via Latin from Greek: a plant of glowing colour, literally: flame

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 phlox

phlox

1706, from Latin, where it was the name of a flower (Pliny), from Greek phlox "kind of plant with showy flowers" (probably Silene vulgaris), literally "flame," related to phlegein "to burn" (see bleach (v.)). Applied to the North American flowering plant by German botanist Johann Jakob Dillenius (1684-1747).