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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Consider colorful combinations of petunias, dusty miller and snapdragons for flower beds. 45. Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2024 And the talking petunias who babble away incessantly are undoubtedly my nieces and nephews. Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2024 Are these glowing petunias going to cause any harm? Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2024 While sweet potatoes are categorized as morning glory, white potatoes belong in the same group as tomatoes, tobacco, chile peppers, eggplants, and petunia. Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for petunia 

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 17 Dec. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on petunia

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!