Meanings
plural rhododendrons · plural rhododendra
- obsoleteOleander (Nerium oleander).
- Any of various flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron.
Rhododendrons and azaleas are plants of temperate regions, the grandest lilies are from temperate Japan, and a large proportion of our most showy flowering plants are natives of the Himalayas, of the Cape, of the United States, of Chili, or of China and Japan, all temperate regions.
1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 298- UKEspecially, the common rhododendron or Pontic rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum).
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekῥοδόδενδρον“oleander”
- Latinrhododendron“oleander”
- Englishrhododendron
The obsolete sense derives from Latin rhododendron (“oleander”), from Ancient Greek ῥοδόδενδρον (rhodódendron, “oleander”), from ῥόδον (rhódon, “rose”) + δένδρον (déndron, “tree”). The modern sense comes through the intermediary of the genus name Rhododendron, not closely related taxonomically, but with similar flowers to those of oleander.
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans alperoos
- alperoosflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Basque errododendro
- errododendroflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Bulgarian рододендрон
- рододендрон (rododendron)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Catalan rododendre
- rododendreflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Chinese Mandarin 杜鵑花 /杜鹃花, 躑躅 /踯躅
- 杜鵑花 /杜鹃花 (dùjuānhuā)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- 躑躅 /踯躅 (zhízhú)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Czech rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Danish rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Dutch rododendron, alpenroosje
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- alpenroosjeflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Esperanto rododendro
- rododendroflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Estonian rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Finnish alppiruusu, rhododendron
- alppiruusuflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- rhododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
French rhododendron
- rhododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
German Rhododendron, Alpenrose
- Rhododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- Alpenroseflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Greek ροδόδενδρο
- ροδόδενδρο (rodódendro)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Hebrew רודודנדרון
- רודודנדרוןflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Hungarian havasszépe, rododendron
- havasszépeflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Irish ródaidéandran
- ródaidéandranflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Italian rododendro
- rododendroflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Japanese 躑躅, ツツジ
- 躑躅 (tsutsuji)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- ツツジ (tsutsuji)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Korean 진달래속, 영산홍
- 진달래속 (jindallaesok)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- 영산홍 (yeongsanhong)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Latin rhododendron
- rhododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Latvian rododendri
- rododendriflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Lithuanian rododendras
- rododendrasflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Norwegian Bokmål rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Polish azalia, rododendron
- azaliaflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- różanecznikflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Portuguese rododendro, azaleia
- rododendroflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- azaleiaflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Romanian rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Russian рододе́ндрон, рододе́ндр
- рододе́ндрон (rododɛ́ndron)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- рододе́ндр (rododéndr)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Scottish Gaelic ròs-chraoibh
- ròs-chraoibhflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Slovak rododendron
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Spanish rododendro
- rododendroflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Swedish rododendron, alpros
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- alprosflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Turkish rododendron, komar
- rododendronflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- komarflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- kafilflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- kafulflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- kara ağuflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- orman gülüflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- zelenikaflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- zifinflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- sarı ağuflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- yel çiçeğiflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
- eğriflowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Ukrainian рододендрон
- рододендрон (rododendron)flowering shrub in the genus Rhododendron
Cite this entry
rhododendron. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhododendron
“rhododendron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhododendron. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rhododendron,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhododendron.
Source: rhododendron on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.