poinsettia
pronunciation
How to pronounce poinsettia in British English:
UK [ˌpɔɪnˈsetiə]
How to pronounce poinsettia in American English:
US [pɔɪnˈsɛtiə, -ˈsɛtə]
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- Noun:
- tropical American plant having poisonous milk and showy tapering usually scarlet petallike leaves surrounding small yellow flowers
Word Origin
- poinsettia (n.)
- from the genus name (1836), Modern Latin, in recognition of Joel R. Poinsett (1779-1851), U.S. ambassador to Mexico, who is said to have brought the plant to the attention of botanists, + abstract noun ending -ia.
Example
- 1. The poinsettia is native to central america and needs warmth to grow .
- 2. The flowers of the poinsettia are very small . Around the flowers are colorful leaves called bracts .
- 3. People who are allergic to the latex produced by rubber trees can develop a mild skin rash from poinsettia plants .
- 4. Sometimes , we 'd all swear that we 'd smelled the peppermint , candy cane , gingerbread house and poinsettia fragrances of christmas wafting out of that hole .