geranium

noun ge·ra·ni·um \ jə-ˈrā-nē-əm , -nyəm \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of geranium

1 : any of a widely distributed genus (Geranium of the family Geraniaceae, the geranium family) of plants having regular usually white, pink, or purple flowers with elongated styles and glands that alternate with the petals — called also cranesbill

2 : pelargonium

3 : a vivid or strong red

See geranium defined for English-language learners

See geranium defined for kids

Recent Examples of geranium from the Web

Many gardeners remove the declining geraniums and add new warm season color to the garden spots.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Summer heat, rain not kind to geraniums," 30 June 2018
Timing is essential so that the geraniums are at peak by Memorial Day week.

— dennis hohenberger, Courant Community, "Suffield High Agriscience Students Honor The Fallen," 6 June 2018
Red or white geraniums or impatiens add bulk and filler.

— jo ellen meyers sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: Plant your red, white and blue," 3 July 2018
The surrounding design is a riot of joyous whites: seasonal roses, foxgloves, aquilegia, hostas, delicate geraniums, and acebia.

— Vogue, "Victoria Beckham’s Guide to Summer Gardening," 21 May 2018
The newest one has notes of fresh grapefruit, lavender, geranium, cedar, and a creamy New Caledonian sandalwood, which Chanel calls a superior ingredient that inspired the bottle’s bold new look.

— shannon barbour, The Cut, "Chanel’s Newest Fragrance Is for Men Who Meditate," 31 May 2018
April is when Jones and his workers start planting most of their flowers to sell in spring, including the greenhouse’s popular geraniums.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Despite spring snows, area greenhouses deliver motherlode of flowers for moms," 14 May 2018
Where are all the hanging geraniums? Kids yammering for ice cream?

— sue hertz, BostonGlobe.com, "Learning to roll with Canadian June," 25 Apr. 2018
Herbs such as catnip, rosemary and basil are good deterrents as are marigolds, scented geranium and lemon grass, which contains citronella often found in candles.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "It's time to start thinking about mosquito deterrents," 29 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of geranium

New Latin, from Latin, geranium, from Greek geranion, from diminutive of geranos crane — more at crane

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1548

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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GERANIUM Defined for English Language Learners

geranium

noun

Definition of geranium for English Language Learners

: a plant that is grown for its red, white, pink, or purple flowers

GERANIUM Defined for Kids

geranium

noun ge·ra·ni·um \ jə-ˈrā-nē-əm \

Definition of geranium for Students

: a plant often grown for its bright flowers

History for geranium

Many of the plants of the geranium family have long, thin, pointed fruits that look a bit like the bill of a bird. The ancient Greeks thought that the fruit of the wild geranium looked like the bill of a crane, and so gave the plant the name geranion, literally, “little crane.” The English word geranium came from this Greek name.