linaria

[ lahy-nair-ee-uh, li- ]

noun

1. any of various plants belonging to the genus Linaria, of the figwort family, especially of the cultivated species, as L. maroccana or L. aeruginea, having slender clusters of spurred flowers in a variety of colors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of linaria¹

1570–80; < New Latin; Medieval Latin līnāria toadflax, equivalent to Latin līn ( um ) flax + -āria -ary

Example Sentences

There’s also Linaria reticulata ‘Flamenco’, with its crimson lip and golden standard, and a host of opium poppies – at least two dozen varieties that had me scrawling in my notebook.

From The Guardian

A police detective had discovered that Theodore Johnson’s airline ticket was purchased over the Internet and that the same computer had also purchased a ticket to Costa Rica for someone named Denise Linaria.

From Literature

The name on her passport was Denise Linaria.

From Literature

Epiallele formation in the absence of genetic variation can result in phenotypic variation, which is most evident in the plant kingdom, as exemplified by the peloric and colorless non-ripening variants from Linaria vulgaris and Solanum lycopersicum, respectively.

From Nature

Linaria bipartita splendida: hardy, 1 ft., deep purple.

From Project Gutenberg