Main Entry: aza·lea

Pronunciation: \ə-ˈzāl-yə\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from Greek, feminine of azaleos dry, from azein to parch, dry; akin to Hittite ḫat- to dry up and probably to Latin ador emmer

Date: 1760

: any of a subgenus (Azalea) of rhododendrons with funnel-shaped corollas and usually deciduous leaves including many species and hybrid forms cultivated as ornamentals