jacaranda means any of several trees, of the genus Jacaranda, native to tropical South America, that have pale purple, funnel-shaped flowers. In horticultural use refers specifically to Jacaranda mimosifolia.
Why “jacaranda” is a great word
A tropical American tree of the genus Jacaranda, especially J. mimosifolia, known for its clusters of pale purple, trumpet-shaped flowers and its dense, dark timber. From Portuguese jacarandá, from Old Tupi îacaranda. Unlike wisteria, a climbing vine whose purple clusters drape from arbors, or rosewood, a trade name for fragrant timbers from other continents, the jacaranda is a fixed, towering presence of its own New World genus. It is the sudden, shocking lavender canopy against a dry-season sky, the fallen flowers forming a bruised carpet on the pavement, and the wood’s deep, purplish grain resisting the plane—a brief, extravagant flourish against the enduring austerity of its timber, as if the tree contains both the spectacle and its aftermath.
Etymology
From Portuguese jacarandá, from Old Tupi îacaranda.
noun
- Any of several trees, of the genus Jacaranda, native to tropical South America, that have pale purple, funnel-shaped flowers. In horticultural use refers specifically to Jacaranda mimosifolia.e.g.“They passed slowly under the jacaranda trees beginning to bloom lavender over their heads.”
- The hard, dark wood of these trees.
- A trade name for similar hardwood timber from certain species of Dalbergia, notably Dalbergia frutescens, Dalbergia nigra and Dalbergia refusa.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- frangipani 82% match — Any of several tropical American shrubs and trees of the genus Plumeria, having fragrant, showy, funnel-shaped flowers of a wide range of colours from creamy to red. vs jacaranda →
- lilac 81% match — A large shrub of the genus Syringa, especially Syringa vulgaris, bearing white, pale-pink, or purple flowers. vs jacaranda →
- honeysuckle 78% match — Any of the many species of arching shrubs and climbing vines of the genus Lonicera in the Caprifoliaceae family, many with sweet-smelling, bell-shaped flowers. vs jacaranda →
- ebony 78% match — A hard, dense, deep black wood from various subtropical and tropical trees, especially of the genus Diospyros. vs jacaranda →
- passionflower 78% match — Any of very many vines, in North America and elsewhere, of the genus Passiflora that bear edible fruit called passion fruit, and showy flowers of a structure symbolic of the Passion of Christ. vs jacaranda →
- champaca 77% match — champac; Magnolia champaca; a large evergreen tree in the Magnoliaceae family. vs jacaranda →
- periwinkle 77% match — Any of several evergreen plants of the genus Vinca with blue or white flowers. vs jacaranda →
- indigo 77% match — A purplish-blue color. vs jacaranda →