Petunia

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pəˈtʲuːni.ə/

Definitions

1. A species of flowering plant in the nightshade family, cherished for its lush blooms and aesthetic contributions to gardens
2. A vibrant flowering plant belonging to the nightshade family that is often prized for its ornamental value
3. A garden plant known for its colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers that belong to the nightshade family

Etymology: The petunia is named after tobacco. Its genus name, Petunia, was coined from the French "pétun", an old word for tobacco, which in turn came from the Old Tupi "petyma". Tupi was a language of South America, and the plant belongs to the same family as the tobacco plant, which explains the naming link. The word reached English through botanical Latin rather than everyday speech. Scientists adopted the genus name as a taxonomic label, and English then borrowed that label directly as the common name for the flower. So the flower's everyday name is really a scientific coinage, carrying a faint trace of tobacco in its history.

Synonyms: flower, bloom, blossom, plant, floral