spiderwort

[ spahy-der-wurt, -wawrt ]

/ ˈspaɪ dərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

Save This Word!

noun

any plant of the genus Tradescantia, having blue, purple, or rose-colored flowers.

any of several related plants.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of spiderwort

First recorded in 1590–1600; spider + wort²

Words nearby spiderwort

spider telangiectasia, spider vein, spider wasp, spiderweb, spiderwood, spiderwort, spidery, spiegeleisen, spiel, Spielberg, Spielberg, Steven

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use spiderwort in a sentence

The spiderwort was a rich blue with its two large petals rounded, while the third one was tiny and colorless.
Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
Among the best for this purpose are the spiderwort (Tradescantia) and Scilla.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
There are four families of the order, the spiderwort belonging to the highest one, Commelyneæ.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
Virginian Spiderwort, Dandelion, and Nightshade are ready at six in the morning.
The Romance of Plant Life|G. F. Scott Elliot

A good example is furnished by the common spiderwort (Fig. 1).
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for spiderwort

spiderwort

/ (ˈspaɪdəˌwɜːt) /

noun

any of various plants of the American genus Tradescantia, esp T. virginiana, having blue, purplish, or pink flowers and widely grown as house plants: family CommelinaceaeSee also tradescantia

any of various similar or related plants

Word Origin for spiderwort

C17: so called because of the spidery shape of its stamens

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