abelia

noun

abe·​lia ə-ˈbēl-yə How to pronounce abelia (audio)
: any of a genus (Abelia) of Asian or Mexican shrubs of the honeysuckle family having opposite leaves and white, red, or pink flowers

Illustration of abelia

Illustration of abelia

Examples of abelia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Recently, the Arboretum made thousands of contemporary images of its plants—from Abelia chinensis (Chinese abelia) to Zenobia pulverulenta (honeycup)—available on its own website. Citizen Science Salon, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2017 My abelia, Soft Caress mahonia and pineapple guava all have burned leaves. Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 22 Feb. 2021 Fragrant abelia grows well in full sun or light shade in just about any reasonable soil. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2020 This 6 to 8-foot tall, upright shrub is closely related to the more common and much smaller glossy abelia (A. xgrandiflora) that is so common in Kentucky gardens. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2020 Prices for glossy abelia in a five-gallon container ranged from $14.95 to $49.50. SFChronicle.com, 28 Feb. 2020 Some of them include: glossy abelia, beauty berries, hydrangeas, Bradford and Callery pears, crabapples, poplar, spruce, junipers, sumacs, cherries, and plums. Leah Zerbe, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2018 Charlotte’ veronica, Miss Lemon abelia, ‘Sunset’ runner bean, and ‘Vision in White’ astilbe. Mike Irvine, Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018 Some of them include: glossy abelia, beauty berries, hydrangeas, Bradford and Callory pears, crabapples, poplar, spruce, junipers, sumacs, cherries, and plums. Leah Zerbe, Good Housekeeping, 15 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'abelia.' 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 (coined in 1818), from Clarke Abel †1826 English botanist

First Known Use

circa 1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abelia was circa 1899

Dictionary Entries Near abelia

Cite this Entry

“Abelia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abelia. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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