rhododendron

[ roh-duh-den-druhn ]

/ ˌroʊ dəˈdɛn drən /

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noun

any evergreen or deciduous shrub or tree belonging to the genus Rhododendron, of the heath family, having rounded clusters of showy, pink, purple, or white flowers and oval or oblong leaves.

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Origin of rhododendron

1595–1605; <Latin <Greek rhodódendron (rhódo-rhodo- + déndron tree)

Words nearby rhododendron

rhodic, rhodinal, rhodium, rhodo-, rhodochrosite, rhododendron, rhododendron bug, rhodolite, rhodomontade, rhodonite, Rhodope

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

How to use rhododendron in a sentence

As a child, she preferred doing outside chores at her family’s Northern Virginia house and garden, which had beautiful rhododendrons.
For years, this doctor has showed up after strangers’ weddings and — with permission — brought flowers back to her patients|Kellie B. Gormly|July 9, 2021|Washington Post
At a slow walk he went noiselessly through the deep sand around the clump of rhododendron.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine|John Fox, Jr.
In spite of the snow that evening we had a cheery bonfire of juniper, willow and rhododendron.
Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921|Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
There isn't a finer tulipifera rhododendron in the world than the one out by the back veranda.
The Open Question|Elizabeth Robins

Thrusting aside shrubs and creepers, he reached for her as he had reached to pluck the rhododendron.
Where the Pavement Ends|John Russell
The laurel blossoms waved pink centers and the rhododendron nodded at her.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for rhododendron

rhododendron

/ (ˌrəʊdəˈdɛndrən) /

noun

any ericaceous shrub of the genus Rhododendron, native to S Asia but widely cultivated in N temperate regions. They are mostly evergreen and have clusters of showy red, purple, pink, or white flowersAlso called (US): rosebay See also azalea

Word Origin for rhododendron

C17: from Latin: oleander, from Greek, from rhodon rose + dendron tree

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