peony

[ pee-uh-nee ]

noun

, plural pe·o·nies.

1. any of various plants or shrubs of the genus Paeonia, having large, showy flowers, as the widely cultivated species P. lactiflora: the state flower of Indiana.

peony

/ ˈpiːənɪ /

noun

1. any of various ranunculaceous shrubs and plants of the genus Paeonia, of Eurasia and North America, having large pink, red, white, or yellow flowers
2. the flower of any of these plants

Word History and Origins

Origin of peony¹

before 1000; Middle English < Late Latin peōnia, Latin paeōnia < Greek paiōnía peony, akin to Paiā́n paean; replacing Middle English pione < Anglo-French < Old French peone < Latin; replacing Old English peonie < Late Latin, Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of peony¹

Old English peonie, from Latin paeōnia, from Greek paiōnia; related to paiōnios healing, from paiōn physician

Example Sentences

Koho Kajiwara’s maroon bamboo “Peony Basket,” at TAI Modern, has a gorgeous, tear-drop-shaped handle several times taller than the basket itself, and Thomas Murray is showing an Ainu robe over a century old whose white-on-indigo patterns go back centuries further.

From New York Times

An A-line grey wool collarless coat had pink peonies of varying sizes splashed over it, while a shorter white wool cape was adorned with similar detailed pink and yellow peony embroidering.

From Seattle Times

There were several more casual, bright yellow gathered chiffon dresses with peony designs.

From Seattle Times

“The prints this season were based on a 19th century gouache painting of a pink peony that I found. I rendered it on chiffons in a quite small scale … then I exploded it on a ball skirt … working with our embroiderers who just rendered that painting in individual rows of thread,” Gordon said.

From Seattle Times

A deep crimson peony, ‘Red Charm’ is a classic to prevent the planting palette from tipping into tooth-aching sweetness.

From Seattle Times