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

These hydrangea plants don't need hefty pruning, but cutting them back no more than one-third yearly can help promote growth and maintain shape. Saucer or Star Magnolia Magnolia trees in general don't heal as well as some other trees from pruning, so make sure not to get too carried away. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024

Deciduous Shrubs: Plants like hydrangeas and lilacs are popular in fall because their roots establish during the dormant season, readying them for a robust blooming cycle in the spring. —Tammy Sons, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Household Uses Making Flowers Last Longer Specifically, hydrangeas! —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 Oct. 2024

Some plants, like hydrangeas that bloom on old wood, may need to be wrapped with burlap to protect their tender buds from winter damage. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Oct. 2024

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

capitalized : a large genus of widely distributed shrubs and one woody vine (family Saxifragaceae) 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