hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə How to pronounce hydrangea (audio)
: any of a genus (Hydrangea) of mostly shrubs having opposite leaves and showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers that is either placed in the saxifrage family or the hydrangea family (Hydrangeaceae)

Examples of hydrangea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Starting in July, the islands transform into a sea of hydrangeas, with vibrant white, blue and purple blooms lining roads and valleys. — Emese MacZko, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025 Specific plants used in this outdoor area include ivy, clematis, and climbing hydrangea. — Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 10 Mar. 2025 The key art for the new season features Belly (Lola Tung) standing tall in a yellow dress against a wall of hydrangeas. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2025 Prime Video made the announcement across their social media channels with a first look at Lola Tung as Belly in a stunning yellow gown against a beautiful backdrop of white hydrangeas. — William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hydrangea

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek hydr- hydr- + New Latin -angēa, feminine derivative from Greek angeîon "vessel, container" — more at angio-

Note: The genus name dates from linnaeus's Species plantarum, vol. 1 (1753), p. 397. Linnaeus took the name from Jan Frederik Gronovius and John Clayton's Flora Virginica, pars prima (Leiden, 1739), p. 50. Since the 19th century the name Hydrangea, taken to mean "water vessel," is said to refer to the "cup-like form of the seed-capsule" (hence Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, 1899). However, Gronovius, presumably the immediate author of the text, gives no indication of the name's significance. He describes the fruit of Hydrangea arborescens as "a small two-chambered vessel filled with tiny seeds, crowned with two small threads or little horns bent backward" ("… vasculo parvo bicapsulari seminibus minutissimis repleto, duobus parvis filamentis seu corniculis recurvis cornato"). This accords well with pictures of the plant's small seed capsules, though it takes some imagination to see an individual capsule as a water vessel.

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrangea was circa 1753

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hydrangea
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Cite this Entry

“Hydrangea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrangea. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

hydrangea

noun
hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə How to pronounce hydrangea (audio)
: any of a genus of shrubby plants with showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers

Medical Definition

hydrangea

noun
hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə How to pronounce hydrangea (audio)
1
capitalized : a large genus of widely distributed shrubs and one woody vine (family Saxifragaceae) with opposite leaves and showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers
2
: any plant of the genus Hydrangea
3
: the dried rhizome and roots of the wild plant of the genus Hydrangea (H. arborescens) formerly used in pharmacy as a diuretic

More from Merriam-Webster on hydrangea

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hydrangea

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