hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə 

: any of a genus (Hydrangea) of mostly shrubs having opposite leaves and showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers that is either placed in the saxifrage family or the hydrangea family (Hydrangeaceae)

Examples of hydrangea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Steinkopf says that plants like chrysanthemums, miniature roses, hydrangeas, and azaleas need an outdoor dormant season to survive in the long term. —Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 14 Jan. 2026

On these hydrangeas, the buds on old wood are the first to flower in springtime, and those set on new wood bloom later in the season. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Jan. 2026

Profuse with hydrangeas and lilies, they were designed by Madison Cox who did Marjorelle in Marrakech. —Tom Morris, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. 2026

Another photo shows an elegant black piano in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows draped in linen curtains, with sage green and white armchairs and a cork coffee table with books and a vase of hydrangeas in view. —Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from Greek hydr- hydr- + New Latin -angēa, feminine derivative from Greek angeîon "vessel, container" — more at angio-

Note: The genus name dates from linnaeus's Species plantarum, vol. 1 (1753), p. 397. Linnaeus took the name from Jan Frederik Gronovius and John Clayton's Flora Virginica, pars prima (Leiden, 1739), p. 50. Since the 19th century the name Hydrangea, taken to mean "water vessel," is said to refer to the "cup-like form of the seed-capsule" (hence Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, 1899). However, Gronovius, presumably the immediate author of the text, gives no indication of the name's significance. He describes the fruit of Hydrangea arborescens as "a small two-chambered vessel filled with tiny seeds, crowned with two small threads or little horns bent backward" ("… vasculo parvo bicapsulari seminibus minutissimis repleto, duobus parvis filamentis seu corniculis recurvis cornato"). This accords well with pictures of the plant's small seed capsules, though it takes some imagination to see an individual capsule as a water vessel.

First Known Use

circa 1753, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə 

: any of a genus of shrubby plants with showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers

Medical Definition

hydrangea

noun

hy·​dran·​gea hī-ˈdrān-jə 

1

Hydrangea : a large genus of widely distributed shrubs and one woody vine that is either placed in the saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae) or is the type genus of a family (Hydrangeaceae, the hydrangea family) with opposite leaves and showy clusters of usually sterile white, pink, or bluish flowers

2

: any plant of the genus Hydrangea

3

: the dried rhizome and roots of the wild plant of the genus Hydrangea (H. arborescens) formerly used in pharmacy as a diuretic