stephanotis

American

[stef-uh-noh-tis] / ˌstɛf əˈnoʊ tɪs /

noun

any vine belonging to the genus Stephanotis, of the milkweed family, having fragrant, waxy, white flowers and leathery leaves.

stephanotis British

/ ˌstɛfəˈnəʊtɪs /

noun

any climbing asclepiadaceous shrub of the genus Stephanotis, esp S. floribunda, of Madagascar and Malaya: cultivated for their fragrant white waxy flowers

"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 stephanotis

1865–70; < New Latin < Greek stephanōtís (feminine adj.) fit for a crown, derivative of stéphanos (masculine) crown

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.

Soon, classic floral scents — rose, lily of the valley, violet, stephanotis — were sold alongside grooming products, bespoke fragrances concocted for wealthy clients in the shop’s cellar.

From New York Times • May 9, 2018

Third, she painted a bridegroom, dashing in a dark suit with white stephanotis for his boutonnière.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 26, 2010

Charlotte Ford, 24, curtsied and gave Meg a bouquet of roses and stephanotis.

From Time Magazine Archive

One portion of the garden contained large bushes of stephanotis and alamanda in full bloom, and close by was a glorious display of the Egyptian lotus in flower.

From Due West or Round the World in Ten Months by Ballou, Maturin Murray

The flowers were selected with this view, and the great bowls of roses all blushed the same glorious tint through the snowy whiteness of the stephanotis.

From Six Women by Cross, Victoria

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