From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgardeniagar‧de‧ni‧a /ɡɑːˈdiːniə $ ɡɑːr-/ noun [countable] DLGHBPa large white pleasant-smelling flower that grows on a bush
Examples from the Corpus
gardenia• And if you have partial sun, holly fern would be a good choice, as would dwarf gardenias.• This was the first gardenia to flower in this country.• The hothouse flowers gardenia and stephanotis had to be coaxed and nurtured into flowering for the posies and the bridegroom's buttonhole.• She wore her hair in three buns with a dramatically large and fragrant gardenia pinned on the right side.• One gardenia casts a pleasant scent, but hundreds of gardenias can, for some, prompt a touch of nausea.• Some one had the grand idea of placing gardenia trees at the end of each pew at center aisle.• Her resentment and disappointment became part of the awkward thrust she made to fasten Robert's gardenia to her shoulder strap.• She soaped herself thoroughly with the gardenia guest soap which was kept in a little wickerwork basket.Origin gardenia (1700-1800) Alexander Garden (1730-91), Scottish plant scientist 