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Definition of bougainvillea

bougainvillea

/ˌbuː.ɡənˈvɪl.i.ə/
bou · gain · vil · lea
Plural:bougainvilleas
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bougainvillea Lexical Profile

bougainvillea Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Any thorny ornamental climbing vine or shrub of the genus Bougainvillea (family Nyctaginaceae), native to South America and widely cultivated in warm climates for its dense clusters of small white tubular flowers enclosed by showy, papery floral bracts in vibrant shades of magenta, purple, red, orange, or white.

Example

"Vibrant magenta bougainvillea cascaded over the whitewashed garden walls of the Mediterranean villa."

Word Nuance & Usage

What are commonly perceived as the vibrant petals of the bougainvillea are botanically modified leaves called bracts, which surround tiny, inconspicuous white true flowers.

• Rhymes for bougainvillea

• Nearby Words

bottlebrush
bottlenose dolphin
boubou
bougainvillea
bouillon
boulder
bouquet

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in Modern Latin by the French botanist Philibert Commerson in 1789 in honor of Admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), commander of the French expedition that first documented the plant in Brazil in 1768.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Bougainvillea. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 18, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/bougainvillea
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