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Definition of african violet
african violet
Plural:African violets
african violet Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A small evergreen plant native to the high-elevation tropical rainforests of eastern Africa, widely cultivated globally as a popular houseplant due to its fuzzy, velvety leaves and clusters of small violet, pink, or white flowers.
Example
"She carefully watered the potted African violet on her kitchen windowsill, making sure not to get the fuzzy leaves wet."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Named for its geographical origin in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa, and for its superficial resemblance to true violets, despite belonging to a completely different plant family (Gesneriaceae).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of African violet. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/african violet