freesia

noun free·sia \ ˈfrē-zh(ē-)ə , -zē-ə \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of freesia

: any of a genus (Freesia) of sweet-scented African herbs of the iris family with usually red, pink, white, or yellow flowers

Recent Examples of freesia from the Web

The queen, wearing an electric blue coat and hat trimmed in black fur and holding a nosegay of daffodils, primroses, freesias, rosemary, thyme and ivy leaves, gave each recipient a red and a white purse.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Prince Philip skips annual pre-Easter service with queen, sparks health worries," 29 Mar. 2018
The perfume aims to evoke that sense of freedom and energy, with notes of oak moss, plum, and freesia.

— sarah spellings, The Cut, "Go Behind the Scenes of Chloé’s New, Wanderlust-Inducing Campaign," 19 Feb. 2018
Although her waterful bouquet wasn't nearly as elaborate (or as heavy) as the late Princess Diana, it was filled with plenty of ivory petalsm from roses and calla lilies to lily of the valley and freesia.

— michelle darrisaw, Southern Living, "Every Royal Bride Has Carried a Sprig of This One Flower in Her Bouquet," 13 Oct. 2017
Wedding Bouquet: Princess Diana Princess Diana's cascading bouquet of gardenias, stephanotis, orchids, lily of the valley, roses, freesia, veronica, spider lilies, and ivy reportedly weighed two kilos (ahem, that's a whopping four pounds!).

— michelle darrisaw, Southern Living, "Every Royal Bride Has Carried a Sprig of This One Flower in Her Bouquet," 13 Oct. 2017
Cool, airy florals, like freesia and peony, enhance the musk and pink-pepper notes the way salt makes dark chocolate taste a thousand times better.

— maddie aberman, Allure, "26 Fragrances You Need to Try Before You Die," 6 Oct. 2017
The coffin, burnished mahogany topped with a mass of yellow and white peonies, freesia and roses, was laid out in the main hall of the library, in the same place where her husband’s coffin was on display in 2004.

— alessandra stanley, New York Times, "Mourning Nancy Reagan, and Looking Back at the Class and Dignity of an Era," 10 Mar. 2016
On a group of models cast for their youth and varied ethnic backgrounds, the designer presented easy, drifty suits and printed silk summer coats in colors like matte white, antique rose, freesia, water blue and geranium.

— guy trebay, New York Times, "New Energy at Versace, Ralph Lauren and Emporio Armani," 18 June 2017
Princess Diana opted for a waterfall bouquet featuring gardenias, stephanotis, orchids, lily of the valley, roses, freesia, veronica and spider lilies in 1981.

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "5 Things All Royal Wedding Bouquets Have in Common," 26 June 2017

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