hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə 

: 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

Landscape Add 3 to 4 inches of straw mulch to landscape plants like roses, ornamental shrubs, and hydrangeas and remove it in the spring. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 29 Oct. 2026

The charming Victorian homes along Lake Drive come to life as hydrangeas and other florals blossom, and, come May, closed museums and shops—as well as the country club’s golf course—begin reopening. — Kristin Granero, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2026

Just don’t cut these hydrangeas back to the ground, because severe pruning will remove new buds that have formed on the old wood. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026

The shop will carry orchids, roses, dahlias, peonies, hydrangeas, and other seasonal flowers in addition to arrangements for weddings, corporate events and other occasions. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026

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

Kids Definition

hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə 

: 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 

1

Hydrangea : a large genus of widely distributed shrubs and one woody vine that is either placed in the saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae) or is the type genus of a family (Hydrangeaceae, the hydrangea family) 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