Main Entry: ca·mel·lia

Pronunciation: \kə-ˈmēl-yə\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin Camellia, from Camellus (Georg Josef Kamel †1706 Moravian Jesuit missionary)

Date: circa 1753

: any of a genus (Camellia) of shrubs or trees of the tea family; especially : an ornamental greenhouse shrub (C. japonica) with glossy leaves and roselike flowers