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.

Origin of genista

1
1615–25; <New Latin, Latin: the broomplant

Words Nearby genista

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use genista in a sentence

  • Jacinto Quesada drew back from the entangled buckthorn and genista.

    The Wolf Cub | Patrick Casey
  • Resting under a solitary broom bush (a kind of genista), he gave vent to his disappointment in a prayer for death.

  • It feeds in July and August on broom, dyer's greenweed (genista tinctoria), persicaria, and other low plants.

  • Fig. 677 represents the famous badge of the "broom-cod" or "planta genista," from which the name of the dynasty was derived.

    A Complete Guide to Heraldry | Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
  • The only prominent form of vegetation is a peculiar tall broom—genista Etnensis—which here flourishes.

    Etna | G. F. Rodwell