andromeda

1 of 2

noun (1)

an·​drom·​eda an-ˈdrä-mə-də 

: any of several evergreen shrubs (genera Pieris and Andromeda) of the heath family

especially : japanese andromeda

Andromeda

2 of 2

noun (2)

An·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdrä-mə-də 

1

: an Ethiopian princess of Greek mythology rescued from a monster by her future husband Perseus

2

: a northern constellation directly south of Cassiopeia between Pegasus and Perseus

Examples of andromeda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Spikes of creamy white astilbe mimicked Mona Lisa’s skin tone, and the long seed heads of the andromeda aped her fingers and added a tawny layer. —Lindsey Taylor, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2018

The andromeda alongside my front steps mysteriously died over the winter. —New York Times, 25 May 2018

Lace bugs are extremely common on both azaleas and andromeda, shrubs that like moist organic soil and partial shade. —Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 17 May 2018

Your andromeda and azaleas have lace bugs, an insect that inserts its feeding tube into the leaf and sucks out the contents of plant cells. —Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 17 May 2018

There are no richer parterres to my eyes than the dense beds of dwarf andromeda (Cassandra calyculata) which cover these tender places on the earth’s surface. —Henry David Thoreau, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2017

Botany cannot go farther than tell me the names of the shrubs which grow there,—the high-blueberry, panicled andromeda, lambkill, azalea, and rhodora,—all standing in the quaking sphagnum. —Henry David Thoreau, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from New Latin Andromeda, genus name (now applied only to the single species Andromeda polifolia), after the mythological andromeda

Note: The genus was introduced by linnaeus in Species plantarum, vol. 1 (Stockholm, 1753), p. 393. In his Flora Lapponica (Amsterdam, 1737), pp. 126-27, Linnaeus develops an elaborate comparison between the characteristics of the plant Andromeda polifolia and the physical and mythological features of Andromeda.

Noun (2)

Latin Andromeda (genitive Andromedae), borrowed from Greek Andromédē

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1754, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing andromeda

• Japanese andromeda

Kids Definition

Andromeda

noun

An·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdräm-əd-ə 

: a northern group of stars in a straight line south of Cassiopeia between Pegasus and Perseus

Etymology

Noun

from Greek Andromedē, a mythological princess

Medical Definition

andromeda

noun

an·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdräm-əd-ə 

1

capitalized : a small genus of low evergreen boreal or arctic shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae) having drooping white or pinkish flowers in terminal umbels and including several that are sources of andromedotoxin

2

: any plant of the genus Andromeda