Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun, plural hi·bis·cus·es.
- Also called China rose. a woody plant, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, of the mallow family, having large, showy flowers: the state flower of Hawaii.
- any of numerous other plants, shrubs, or trees of the genus Hibiscus, characterized by lobate or dentate leaves and usually profusely blooming flowers.
noun plural -cuses
- any plant of the chiefly tropical and subtropical malvaceous genus Hibiscus, esp H. rosa-sinensis, cultivated for its large brightly coloured flowers
1706, from Latin hibiscum, later hibiscus, “marshmallow plant,” of unknown origin, perhaps from Gaulish.