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

The new iteration of the tiny club has a jungle-meets-the-shires feel with palm trees, vines and dangling wisteria and serves electric bright cocktails like frozen hibiscus margaritas. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 May 2026

Twining Plants Twining plants, such as honeysuckle and wisteria, wrap their stems around the support structure. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 May 2026

The trellis stands 35 inches tall before it’s staked into the ground, and features a supportive metal frame that’s perfect for climbing plants, like clematis, ivy, wisteria, or certain roses. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 May 2026

The most recent additions include the Japanese angelica tree, Japanese wisteria, Quackgrass and Chinese wisteria, which were all added to the list in 2024. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 4 May 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