petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈtün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
-ˈtyün-
: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family that are commonly grown as annuals for their fragrant, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers

Illustration of petunia

Illustration of petunia

Examples of petunia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Gardeners recommend protecting sensitive flowers, such as petunias and marigolds, and sensitive crops, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, by covering them with fabric, burlap or even old newspapers. Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2024 Design a floral escape with petunias, marigolds, pansies, and geraniums. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2024 The petunias can also be propagated, and the seeds collected and planted. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024 These magical-appearing plants come from years of experimenting by scientists, including Karen Sarkisyan, a synthetic biologist at Imperial College London and one of the engineers behind the petunias’ development. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2024 Examples of plants that can be located in full sun now but in the half-day sun later would include petunia, dianthus, lobelia, and columbine (Aquiegia spp.) 2. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 As soon as guests enter through a tall wooden door and proceed to the courtyard, they’ll be enveloped by abundant foliage such as palms, pines and blossoms of petunias and paper flowers. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, is surprised that there more studies haven't come out about the environmental risk of luminescent petunias. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Feb. 2024 Sunflowers, petunias and pansies, meanwhile, are all pet-friendly flowers Pets should stay away from certain flowers for their health, veterinarians say while sharing their floral safety tips ahead of Valentine's Day. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petunia.' 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, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petɨ́ma

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petunia was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near petunia

Cite this Entry

“Petunia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petunia. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

petunia

noun
pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈt(y)ün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
: any of a genus of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family widely grown for their showy funnel-shaped flowers

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