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

Aggressive types of wisteria can be pruned after flowering and again in winter to control their spreading nature. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2025

Cynthia breezed into the kitchen in a vague cloud of her signature wisteria scent. —CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

Globally, the color cerulean was followed by robin's egg blue and wisteria (a light purple color) as the top three most popular colors. —Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025

These sleek and convenient incense sticks are tucked into a matchbook and come in a variety of scents, including peony, Japanese cyprus, and Japanese wisteria. —Melissa Locker, Time, 17 Nov. 2025

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
• neisseria
• 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