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zinnia

noun
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zin·​nia | \ ˈzi-nē-ə How to pronounce zinnia (audio) , ˈzē-; ˈzi-nyə, ˈzē- How to pronounce zinnia (audio) \

Definition of zinnia

: any of a genus (Zinnia) of tropical American composite herbs and low shrubs that have showy flower heads with long-lasting ray flowers

Examples of zinnia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cold weather will eliminate the blooms of zinnias, porter weed, milkweed and lantana. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "It’s time to seriously prepare your plants for the next San Antonio freeze," 21 Nov. 2019 The migrating hummingbirds also are moving through town with frequent stops at sugar water feeders and nectar plants such as zinnias, porter weed, salvias, flame acanthus, cape honeysuckle, firebush, pentas, Turks cap and shrimp plant. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "If you feed them, birds will come," 10 Oct. 2019 Chest-high zinnia flowers neatly scatter a once-vacant lot in an ombre of burgundy, burnt orange, marigold and ivory. — Christen A. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "He moved to Englewood because he wanted to. Now, Quilen Blackwell is turning vacant lots into flower farms.," 8 Nov. 2019 Answer: Many gardeners are adding zinnias to their spring through fall gardens. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Zinnias can be added to summer gardens in Florida," 27 July 2019 Some gardeners sow zinnia seeds every week to 10 days to extend their cut flower joys. — Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: Some plants hard to find this spring," 13 June 2019 My experiences with zinnias go back sixty or so years. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Zinnias give a great summer color," 26 July 2019 In the garden, Mexican honeysuckle, cape honeysuckle, zinnias, porterweed, four o’clock, salvia, lantana, shrimp plant, Turk’s cap and esperanza will be visited by the migrants. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Fall blooms to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your San Antonio garden," 13 Sep. 2019 End-of-season produce — carrots, peppers, tomatillos — sprout in bunches behind a row of red zinnias. — Daily Pilot, "Costa Mesa gardener has fruitful O.C. Fair competition season as he again rakes in the most ribbons," 11 Sep. 2019

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

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First Known Use of zinnia

1767, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for zinnia

New Latin, from Johann G. Zinn †1759 German botanist

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Time Traveler for zinnia

Time Traveler

The first known use of zinnia was in 1767

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Statistics for zinnia

Last Updated

28 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Zinnia.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zinnias. Accessed 28 January 2020.

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More Definitions for zinnia

zinnia

noun
How to pronounce zinnia (audio) How to pronounce zinnia (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of zinnia

: a plant that is grown in gardens for its brightly colored flowers

See the full definition for zinnia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

zinnia

noun
zin·​nia | \ ˈzi-nē-ə How to pronounce zinnia (audio) , ˈzin-yə \

Kids Definition of zinnia

: a garden plant grown for its long-lasting colorful flowers

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More from Merriam-Webster on zinnia

Spanish Central: Translation of zinnia

Nglish: Translation of zinnia for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about zinnia

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