Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bougainvillea

/ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.11 in modern English

Syllables: bougainvil-lea
IPA: /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/

19

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several South American flowering shrubs or lianas, of the genus Bougainvillea, having three showy, colorful bracts attached below each group of three inconspicuous flowers.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"He arrives bearing flowers as though he's come to court me. Tonight he brings me bougainvillea. It is always a surprise."
"He is outside in his garden, surrounded by bougainvillea bursting with color."

Etymology

From taxonomic name Bougainvillea, from French Bougainville + -a. Named after French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: Bougainvillea, Bougainville

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/
British English: /ˌbuː.ɡənˈvɪl.ɪ.ə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

bougainvilleas (plural) bougainvillaea (alternative) bougainvillia (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce bougainvillea?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌbu.ɡənˈvɪl.jə/.
What does bougainvillea mean?: Any of several South American flowering shrubs or lianas, of the genus Bougainvillea, having three showy, colorful bracts attached below each group of three inconspicuous flowers.
Where does bougainvillea come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce bougainvillea

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