Meanings
plural malvas
- Any plant of the genus Malva, a mallow.
Another malva to note is M. moschata Alba, the white form of our native musk mallow.
1989, Country Life, page 2352 more examples
How to prepare: Cook the malvas the same way as amaranth and most other greens in Mexico are prepared[,] that is, briefly cooked with tomatoes or tomatillos and onions ...
2000, Rosalind Creasy, Edible Mexican Garden, Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN, page 59If your hollyhocks are attacked by rust, and if hibiscus flowers are too tropical looking and gaudy for your taste, investigate another branch of the mallow family — the malvas. [...] This spring I started seeds of another malva named M. sylvestris 'Mauritiana', and every seed came up.
2004, Frances Manos, Midwest Cottage Gardening, Big Earth Publishing, →ISBN, page 79
Origin
From the genus name, or in some Spanish or Portuguese contexts, from the Spanish or Portuguese word.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
malva. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malva
“malva.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malva. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malva,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malva.
Source: malva on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.