genista

[ juh-nis-tuh ]

noun

1. any plant belonging to the genus Genista, of the legume family, having showy flowers and including many species of broom.
2. a related plant, Cytisus canariensis, of the Canary Islands, having loose clusters of fragrant yellow flowers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of genista¹

1615–25; < New Latin, Latin: the broomplant

Example Sentences

The short version of the story is that “broomrape” is the partially translated 16th-century name of a genus of plants, Genista: European plants called brooms.

From New York Times

They are said also to have been used by the Highlanders for dyeing woollen yarn yellow, and other colours are asserted to have been obtained from them, but some writers appear to confuse the dyer’s-weed, Genista tinctoria, with the heather.

From Project Gutenberg

There were juniper bushes, clematis, willows, a genista, rock roses, and even some yellow primulas, but as we got further into the valley it became more stony, and on either side of the path were small piles of stones heaped up by pilgrims.

From Project Gutenberg

Genista, jē-nis′ta, n. a large genus of shrubby, leguminous plants, with simple leaves and yellow flowers.

From Project Gutenberg

L'Heritier, author of many modern publications in Botany, distinguished for their accuracy and elegance, was the first who described and figured this species of Genista, a native of Corsica, and cultivated here by John Ord, Esq. as long since as the year 1770.

From Project Gutenberg