Meanings
plural bougainvilleas · alternative bougainvillaea · alternative bougainvillia
- countableuncountableAny of several South American flowering shrubs or lianas, of the genus Bougainvillea, having three showy, colorful bracts attached below each group of three inconspicuous flowers.
He is outside in his garden, surrounded by bougainvillea bursting with color.
2019, Maaza Mengiste, The Shadow King, Canongate Books (2020), page 1291 more example
He arrives bearing flowers as though he's come to court me. Tonight he brings me bougainvillea. It is always a surprise.
1991, Edwidge Danticat, Krik? Krak!, New York: Soho Press Inc., →ISBN, page 87 of 83-88
Origin
- FrenchBougainville
- taxonomic nameBougainvillea
- Englishbougainvillea
From taxonomic name Bougainvillea, from French Bougainville + -a. Named after French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811).
More words from taxonomic name, French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan buguenvíl·lia
- buguenvíl·liaflower
Dutch bougainvillea
- bougainvilleaflower
Esperanto bugenvilo
- bugenviloflower
Finnish ihmeköynnös, bougainvillea
- ihmeköynnösflower
- bougainvilleaflower
French bougainvillée, bougainvillier
- bougainvilléeflower
- bougainvillierflower
German Bougainvillea
- Bougainvilleaflower
Greek μπουκαμβίλια
- μπουκαμβίλια (boukamvília)flower
Indonesian bugenvil, bunga kertas
- bugenvilflower
- bunga kertasflower
Italian buganvillea
- buganvilleaflower
Japanese ブーゲンビリア
- ブーゲンビリア (būgenbiria)flower
Lithuanian bugenvilija
- bugenvilijaflower
Malay bunga kertas
- bunga kertasflower
Norwegian bougainvillea, trillingblomst
- bougainvilleaflower
- trillingblomstflower
Polish bugenwilla
- bugenwillaflower
Portuguese bougainvillea, buganvília
- bougainvilleaflower
- buganvíliaflower
Romanian bougainvillea
- bougainvilleaflower
Russian бугенвиллия
- бугенвиллия (bugenvillija)flower
Spanish buganvilia, buganvilla
- buganviliaflower
- buganvillaflower
- comomosíflower
- papelilloflower
- Santa Ritaflower
- trinitariaflower
- veraneraflower
- bugambilia (Mesoamerica)flower
Swedish trillingblomssläktet
- trillingblomssläktetflower
Tagalog bogambilya
- bogambilyaflower
Thai เฟื่องฟ้า
- เฟื่องฟ้า (fʉ̂ʉang-fáa)flower
Turkish begonvil
- begonvilflower
Ukrainian бугенвілія
- бугенвілія (buhenvilija)flower
Vietnamese hoa giấy
- hoa giấyflower
Cite this entry
bougainvillea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bougainvillea
“bougainvillea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bougainvillea. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bougainvillea,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bougainvillea.
Source: bougainvillea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.