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Definition of hovenia
hovenia
/hoʊˈviːniə/
ho · ve · ni · a
Plural:hovenias
hovenia Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
11
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
Any deciduous tree or shrub of the Asian genus Hovenia in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae), most notably the Japanese raisin tree (Hovenia dulcis), which is cultivated for its sweet, fleshy, and edible fruit stalks.
Example
"The gardener planted a hovenia to enjoy its fragrant summer flowers and the unique, raisin-flavored peduncles it produces in the autumn."
• Rhymes for hovenia
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1781 by Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg to honor David ten Hoven (1724–1787), a Dutch senator and patron of botany, combined with the Modern Latin suffix '-ia' denoting a plant genus.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Hovenia. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/hovenia