azalea

noun

aza·​lea ə-ˈzāl-yə How to pronounce azalea (audio)
: any of a subgenus (Azalea) of rhododendrons with funnel-shaped corollas and usually deciduous leaves including many species and hybrid forms cultivated as ornamentals

Examples of azalea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Seasonal bloomers, such as azaleas, crabapples, or wisteria can also make pretty bonsai. Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 In recent decades, the cultivation of camellias, as well as other ornamental plants like azaleas and rhododendrons, has become a mainstay of the local economy, while lush gardens and parks in and around Verbania have attracted legions of those who appreciate nature, particularly plants. Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2024 The nursery sells more than 500 varieties of camellias and azaleas. Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023 Some plants, such as blueberries, azaleas and camellias, prefer more acidic soil. Lauren David, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 Plant in containers in USDA zones 5-7 using a well-draining potting mix made for azaleas and camellias. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2023 Some flowers in my garden have been inherited from the previous owners: astilbes, baptisias, azaleas, and buddleias. Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 When to trim? Q: When is the proper time to trim azaleas and rhododendrons? oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023 The candidates: wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, of Brooklyn), pinxter azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides, of Staten Island), spicebush (Lindera benzoin, of the Bronx), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, of Manhattan), and the giant sunflower (Helianthus giganteus, of Queens). Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'azalea.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Azalea, genus name, borrowed from Greek azaléā, feminine of azaléos "dry, parched, withered," from az-, base of ázō, ázein "to dry out, parch," and in same sense azánesthai, azaínein (perhaps going back to an Indo-European verbal base *h2ed- "dry up," whence also Hittite ḫāt- "dry up, become parched") + -aleos, adjective suffix, often paired with derivatives based on a nasal consonant

Note: The genus name Azalea was introduced by Linnaeus, first in Systema naturae, 1735. Linnaeus nowhere comments in print on the reason for the name. Hortus Cliffortianus (Amsterdam, 1737), p. 69, contains the note "Nominis rationem vide Fl. lapp. 89 e" ("for the reasoning behind the name see Flora Lapponica 89 e"), but in this paragraph of the plant description in Flora Lapponica (Amsterdam, 1737), Linnaeus simply notes why he rejected the earlier name Chamaerhododendros (it violated his prescriptions against sesquipedalian words and against forming a name by prefixing an existing name). Hence subsequent hypotheses on the choice of the name (as, for example "either from the dry soil in which it flourishes, or from its dry brittle wood" in the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition) are purely speculative. — An earlier Indo-European etymology for Greek ázein saw it as reflecting *as-d-, a "root extension" of *as-, in laryngealist terms *h1eh2s-, which also underlay Old Polish and Old Czech ozd "structure for drying malt," Old Czech ozditi "to dry (germinated grain for malt)." See arid and note at ash entry 2.

First Known Use

1755, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of azalea was in 1755

Dictionary Entries Near azalea

Cite this Entry

“Azalea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/azalea. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

azalea

noun
aza·​lea ə-ˈzāl-yə How to pronounce azalea (audio)
: any of numerous rhododendrons that have funnel-shaped flowers, usually shed their leaves in the fall, and include many grown as ornamental plants

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