forsythia

noun for·syth·ia \ fər-ˈsi-thē-ə , chiefly British -ˈsī- \

|Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of forsythia

plural forsythias also forsythia

: any of a genus (Forsythia) of ornamental shrubs of the olive family with opposite leaves and yellow bell-shaped flowers appearing before the leaves in early spring

See forsythia defined for English-language learners

See forsythia defined for kids

Recent Examples of forsythia from the Web

The island has clams, osprey and golden forsythia foaming like champagne in the spring, but lacks a hospital, a movie theater and home mail delivery.

— julie lasky, New York Times, "Shelter Island, N.Y.: A Paradise That Has Its Challenges," 16 May 2018
The balmy weather Friday that bathed early-blooming forsythia in bright sun won’t last far into the weekend, forecasters say.

— bill leukhardt, courant.com, "Weekend Starts Out Warm, Then Cold, Possibly Sleet Arrive Saturday And Sunday," 13 Apr. 2018
Redbuds, tulips and forsythia have yet to appear this spring, but that’s not holding back the arrival of the art fairs metro Detroiters love.

— greg crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Plan your weekend: 'Tosca,' ventriloquist Darci Lynne, Afro-Caribbean cook-off," 4 Apr. 2018
That would suggest it’s a nice place, a wonderful place in fact, bursting with Golden Bells, which are a fancy type of forsythia.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Masters 2018: Doc renames some holes at Augusta National Golf Club," 3 Apr. 2018
However, do not prune shrubs that will bloom this spring, including azaleas, forsythia, pieris and camellias.

— nancy brachey, charlotteobserver, "Let these beauties bloom in your landscape," 5 Feb. 2018
Visitors can also buy bundles of branches cut from the yellow flowering Mai tree (also called Japanese apricot or Japanese forsythia), which the Vietnamese bring indoors for good luck.

— lori basheda, latimes.com, "Flower Festival in Westminster sets the scene for Tet," 9 Feb. 2018
Another garden aspect new residents should be aware of include watching for blossoming of forsythia.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Thinking of becoming a gardener? Here’s a primer for southern Idaho," 31 Jan. 2018
Look to crabapples, flowering currant, elderberry, huckleberry, forsythia, Pieris and Oregon grape.

— kym pokorny, OregonLive.com, "Mason bees go to work early in the season before honey bees emerge," 28 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forsythia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.