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poinsettia

poinsettia

3 7.0
A tropical plant with bright red leaves that people put on tables at Christmas
  • noun
  • /ˌpɔɪnˈsɛtiə/
translation icon : poinsettia
  • Sarah looked out the window, past the sunlight filtering through the scarlet leaves of the poinsettia.
  • poinsettia plant
  • poinsettia leaves
  • red poinsettia

Examples

  • At the community gathering, each guest was given a poinsettia as a festive gesture for the Christmas celebration.

  • David Geisler of Possum Run Greenhouse in Bellville, Ohio, uses an electrostatic sprayer to apply a fungicide to poinsettia plants.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Please remember to... if you purchased a poinsettia, please take it with you at the close of the service.

  • The poinsettia leaves danced in air blown upwards from the heat vents.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The withered poinsettia became a standing joke with us all right through the course, appearing in the oddest places.

    Blog text (30)
  • Recently, I sought out Glenn to assist in getting our Holiday Greens and Poinsettia Fundraiser information on our website.

    Blog text (4)
  • I have a beautiful poinsettia garland that lights up, which I wind along the top of my staircase banister.

    Blog text (17)
  • Thick-walled to keep out the heat, houses in Miraflores are set back from wide boulevards lined with royal palms and poinsettia trees.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • During the holiday season, many people decorate their homes with a bright red poinsettia to celebrate Christmas.

  • The florist arranged a stunning centerpiece featuring a vibrant poinsettia surrounded by candles and greenery.

Synonyms

Euphorbia pulcherrima
vspoinsettia
  • Specialized
9.0

A tropical American shrub with poisonous milky sap and bright red leaf-like parts around small yellow flowers

is the common seasonal decorative name rather than the scientific term
Christmas star
vspoinsettia
  • US
3.3

A plant with bright red leaves often used as a Christmas decoration

is the common seasonal plant name rather than the festive nickname
Christmas flower
vspoinsettia
3.5

A plant with red leaves like a poinsettia that people use to decorate at Christmas

is the general common decorative name rather than a seasonal label
Mexican fire plant
vspoinsettia
  • US
6.9

A plant from Mexico with bright red leaves used as a holiday decoration

is the general decorative plant name used in holiday contexts
Mexican flameleaf
vspoinsettia
  • US
9.9

A tropical American plant with poisonous sap and bright red leaf-like bracts surrounding small yellow flowers

is the common holiday ornamental term, not the botanical descriptor
lobster plant
vspoinsettia
  • US
9.9

A tropical plant from the Americas with poisonous white sap and bright red parts around small yellow flowers

is the widely used decorative name rather than this regional nickname
paint leaf
vspoinsettia
  • US
9.3

A plant with bright red leaves often used for holiday decoration

is the common festive ornamental name, not the geographic description
painted leaf
vspoinsettia
8.3

A tropical plant with bright red leaves and poisonous milky sap

is the seasonal decorative name rather than this descriptive label

Compounds

A showy plant from warm places with bright red leaf-like parts

How Showy

poinsettia
3 7.0
camellia
1 6.8
snowdrop
1 1.8

Surface Forms

poinsettia singular
poinsettias plural

Etymology

Poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the American who brought the bright red plant from Mexico to the United States in the 1800s. In Mexico it is called 'Flor de Nochebuena' meaning 'Christmas Eve flower', which explains why a poinsettia is now a popular red plant used for Christmas decoration.