pinxter flower

Or pinkster flower

noun

1. a wild azalea, Rhododendron periclymenoides, of the U.S., having pink or purplish flowers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pinxter flower¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

When Thoreau encounters a rare pinxter flower in 1853, it would be enough to suggest that he was attuned to the almost nonexistent.

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The implication for Dann is clear: “The pinxter flower was emblematic of a kind of personal Pentecost for Thoreau; he could now . . . speak in nature’s own tongue, baptizing others not yet anointed with such grace.”

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He gilds the lily, excitedly observing that the pinxter flower derives its name from Pentecost, “when the newly baptized wore white robes signifying their exalted state.”

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