azalea

noun

aza·​lea ə-ˈzāl-yə 

: 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

The patio has nice landscaping consisting of camellias, azaleas and a small Japanese maple. —Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

Related Articles Different kinds of toxic plants cause gastrointestinal distress, like azaleas and rhododendrons, and some are deadly, such as poison hemlock, aconite/monkshood, castor bean seeds and Nicotiana glauca. —Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024

All parts of azaleas are toxic to humans and pets if ingested. —Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024

Street signs seem created by Hobby Lobby — Art Deco black font on a white background in Maywood, white cursive on blue in Huntington Park, white azaleas in South Gate. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

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

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

Kids Definition

azalea

noun

aza·​lea ə-ˈzāl-yə 

: any of numerous rhododendrons that have funnel-shaped flowers, usually shed their leaves in the fall, and include many grown as ornamental plants