verbena

noun

ver·​be·​na (ˌ)vər-ˈbē-nə 

: vervain

especially : any of numerous garden vervains of hybrid origin widely grown for their showy spikes of white, pink, red, or blue flowers which are borne in profusion over a long season compare lemon verbena

Examples of verbena in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The other essential thing for me is the bath salts from Mistral that smell like verbena. —Caroline Reilly, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2024

Lemon verbena can be used in pesto, marinades, fruit salads, or teas. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 July 2024

Then, there’s the scent—a citrusy, woodsy blend of amber, peach blossom, lemon, and verbena that lingers in the most alluring way. —Jenny Berg, Vogue, 29 June 2024

Some that spring up for me include ageratums, verbena, ammi, nigella, and wheat celosia. —Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin Verbena, a plant genus, going back to Medieval Latin verbēna "the plant Verbena officinalis," going back to Latin, "leafy branch used ceremonially or medicinally" — more at vervain

First Known Use

1562, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing verbena

• lemon verbena
• sand verbena

Kids Definition

verbena

noun

ver·​be·​na (ˌ)vər-ˈbē-nə 

: any of a genus of numerous plants including some that are often grown in gardens for their showy spikes of white, pink, red, or blue flowers