baptisia

noun

bap·​ti·​sia bap-ˈti-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce baptisia (audio)
: any of a genus (Baptisia) of North American plants of the legume family having showy papilionaceous flowers similar in form to those of the pea plant

Examples of baptisia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web 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 My initial response is to plant more of what works, in this case baptisia and sedum. Carol Stocker, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2022 On a precociously hot day in May, Avent takes me on a golf cart tour past fields of arums, lycoris, trilliums, crinums, epimediums, colocasias, baptisias and gingers — the botany begins to blur after a few hours under the beating Carolina sun. Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019 Unscathed (for reasons beyond my ken) include baptisia, clematis recta, and of course the sturdy-as-stone conifers. Bonnie Blodgett, Twin Cities, 17 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baptisia.' 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

New Latin, genus name, from Greek baptisis a dipping, from baptein

First Known Use

circa 1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baptisia was circa 1868

Dictionary Entries Near baptisia

Cite this Entry

“Baptisia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baptisia. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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