petunia
/pəˈtʃuːnjə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.48 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of the flowering plants of genus Petunia, of which most garden varieties are hybrids.
Example Sentences
- "Usually petunias are quite pest free, but aphids are occasional problems."
- "The small purple petunias are produced in profusion and without ceasing during the entire season."
- "Closely related calibrachoas, often called miniature petunias, offer dainty petunia-like blossoms that are perfect for planting in pots. No matter what type of petunias you choose, they all prefer plenty of sun."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Tupian *pe Proto-Tupi-Guarani *tɨm Proto-Tupi-Guarani *pe-tɨm Old Tupi petymabor. French pétun Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -iader. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía)der. Translingual -ia taxonomic name Petuniabor. English petunia Borrowed from taxonomic name Petunia, from (now obsolete) French pétun (“tobacco”), from Old Tupi petyma (“tobacco”).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: pétun, petyma
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pəˈtʃuːnjə/
- British English: /pəˈtʲuːni.ə/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
hairyflower wild petunia
Petunia vein banding virus