rafflesia

American

[ruh-flee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh, ra-] / rəˈfli ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə, ræ- /

noun

any stemless, leafless, parasitic plant of the genus Rafflesia, of the Malay Peninsula and Republic of Indonesia, characterized by apetalous flowers, measuring 3 inches–3 feet (8–90 centimeters) in diameter, that exude a putrid odor: now greatly reduced in number.

rafflesia British

/ ræˈfliːzɪə /

noun

any of various tropical Asian parasitic leafless plants constituting the genus Rafflesia , esp R. arnoldi , the flowers of which grow up to 45 cm (18 inches) across, smell of putrid meat, and are pollinated by carrion flies: family Rafflesiaceae

"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

Etymology

Origin of rafflesia

From New Latin (1821), after T. S. Raffles, who obtained the type specimen

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.

The world's largest flower, rafflesia, with a diameter of 3 ft., blooms on Madura.

From Time Magazine Archive

This mountain was moister than any I had ever ascended, the Semeru in Java, in some respects, excepted; and half-way up I found some rotten rafflesia.

From The Former Philippines thru Foreign Eyes by Craig, Austin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023