petunia

noun

pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈtün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
-ˈtyün-
: any of a genus (Petunia) of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family that are commonly grown as annuals for their fragrant, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers

Illustration of petunia

Illustration of petunia

Examples of petunia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These plant pests stimulate the Mexican petunia foliage to grow hairlike portions that form the white patches. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026 Pink, purple, red, yellow, orange, white There are countless varieties of petunias including newer varieties like New Wave that continue blooming without deadheading. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026 Deadheading Every Plant While deadheading is beneficial for certain plants like petunias, many modern annuals are self-cleaning. — Shagun Khare, Martha Stewart, 18 July 2026 If your petunias looked stunning at first, but are starting to lag a bit, a lack of nutrients is probably to blame. — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for petunia

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from obsolete French petun tobacco, from Tupi petɨ́ma

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petunia was in 1825

Rhymes for petunia

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Browse Nearby Words

petune
petunia
petunia violet
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Cite this Entry

“Petunia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petunia. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

petunia

noun
pe·​tu·​nia pi-ˈt(y)ün-yə How to pronounce petunia (audio)
: any of a genus of tropical South American herbs of the nightshade family widely grown for their showy funnel-shaped flowers

More from Merriam-Webster on petunia

Nglish: Translation of petunia for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petunia

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