wisteria

noun

wis·​te·​ria wi-ˈstir-ē-ə How to pronounce wisteria (audio)
variants or less commonly wistaria
: 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

Illustration of wisteria

Examples of wisteria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The generous garden, developed with the firm Brook Landscape, features a firepit, an outdoor kitchen, and a very aggressive wisteria. Michael Boodro, Architectural Digest, 9 Sep. 2024 For all of these reasons, try out trellising cucumbers or guiding wisteria vines over an arch. Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2024 Naturally, given the property’s name, there’s a mature private garden with ancient wisteria trees and a large pond that serves as an ideal spot for wildlife watching. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024 Even if dark clouds cover the sky, the purple wisteria and white dogwood blooms will compete with the colorful Easter clothes on worshippers filling up Sunday services in churches big and small throughout Arkansas. Werner Trieschmann, arkansasonline.com, 31 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wisteria 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wisteria.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Wisteria, from Caspar Wistar †1818 American physician

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wisteria was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near wisteria

Cite this Entry

“Wisteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wisteria. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

wisteria

noun
wis·​te·​ria wis-ˈtir-ē-ə How to pronounce wisteria (audio)
variants also wistaria
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on wisteria

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!