wisteria

noun

wis·​te·​ria wi-ˈstir-ē-ə 

variants or less commonly wistaria

wi-ˈstir-ē-ə 

also

-ˈster- 

: any of a genus (Wisteria) of mostly woody leguminous vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that have pinnately compound leaves and long racemes of showy blue, white, purple, or rose papilionaceous flowers and that include several (such as W. sinensis and W. floribunda) grown as ornamentals

Illustration of wisteria

Examples of wisteria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Between the scenes of Odets’s play, music and movement twine like wisteria tendrils slowly pushing their way through concrete. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026

The exterior was covered in roses and wisteria, and the couple were instantly smitten. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026

Flowering vines to prune this season include roses, honeysuckle, moonflower, wisteria, and clematis. — The Spruce, 13 Sep. 2026

There, wisteria blooms on trellises, raspberries ripen on bushes, a cold-plunge pool commands sweeping views of downtown Manhattan—and a chicken coop looms in the corner. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Wisteria, from Caspar Wistar †1818 American physician

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wisteria

• arteria
• bacteria
• criteria
• diphtheria
• egeria
• listeria
• cafeteria
• cyanobacteria
• mycobacteria

Kids Definition

wisteria

noun

wis·​te·​ria wis-ˈtir-ē-ə 

variants also wistaria

-ˈtir-ē-ə 

also

-ˈter- 

: any of a genus of mostly woody vines of China, Japan, and the southeastern U.S. that belong to the legume family and have leaves with numerous leaflets and showy blue, white, purple, or rose flowers in long hanging clusters

Etymology

named for Caspar Wistar 1761–1818 American physician