zinnia, n.

zinnia
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zinnia_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zinnianoun

## Earlier version

- zinnia in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zinnia mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zinnia. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zinnia?

About 0.1occurrences per million words in modern written English

1770 | 0.0088
1780 | 0.0068
1790 | 0.0059
1800 | 0.005
1810 | 0.0055
1820 | 0.0026
1830 | 0.003
1840 | 0.0043
1850 | 0.0074
1860 | 0.0095
1870 | 0.015
1880 | 0.024
1890 | 0.04
1900 | 0.054
1910 | 0.085
1920 | 0.12
1930 | 0.15
1940 | 0.15
1950 | 0.16
1960 | 0.15
1970 | 0.14
1980 | 0.12
1990 | 0.12
2000 | 0.12
2010 | 0.12

### How is the noun zinnia pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɪniə/
ZIN-ee-uh

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɪniə/
ZIN-ee-uh

### Where does the noun zinnia come from?

Earliest known use

mid 1700s

The earliest known use of the noun zinnia is in the mid 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for zinnia is from 1761, in the writing of John Hill, physician and actor.

zinnia is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin Zinnia.

### Nearby entries

1. zingiberaceous, adj. 1821–
2. zingily, adv. 1951–
3. zinginess, n. 1938–
4. zinging, n. 1921–
5. zinging, adj. 1915–
6. zingingly, adv. 1952–
7. zingo, int. 1906–
8. zingy, adj. 1938–
9. Zinjanthropus, n. 1959–
10. zinke, n. 1773–
11. zinnia, n.1761–
12. zinnober green, n. 1879–
13. zinnwaldite, n. 1850–
14. zino, n. 1982–
15. Zinovievite, adj. & n. 1936–
16. Zinoviev letter, n. 1924–
17. Zion, n. Old English–
18. Zion Curtain, n. 1951–
19. Zioner, n. 1681–1760
20. Zionism, n. 1896–
21. Zionist, n. & adj. a1649–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Latin.
Etymon: Latin Zinnia.
< scientific Latin Zinnia, genus name (Linnaeus, 1759; < the name of J. G. Zinn, German botanist (1727–59) + ‑ia ‑ia suffix1).

## Meaning & use

1. 1761–
   Any of various plants comprising the genus Zinnia (family Asteraceae), native to grassland and scrub from South America to the south-western United States; esp. any of various hybrids and cultivars, derived mainly from Z. elegans of Mexico, widely grown as garden plants for their brightly coloured flowers. Also: a flower of such a plant.
   1. 1761

      > This is the Zinnia of late writers.

      J. Hill, Vegetable System vol. II. iii. iii. 65
   2. 1782

      > Of the hardier kinds of annual plants... The principal sorts are..alkekengi or winter-cherry, tobacco plant, zinnia, Indian corn.

      J. Abercrombie, Every Man his Own Gardener (ed. 9) 197
   3. 1860

      > The Zinnia, after years of cultivation with very little success in changing it from its single habit, has at last rewarded the florist's care, by donning full flowing suit equal to the Dahlia.

      American Agriculturist vol. 19 367/1
   4. 1885

      > They visited the flower-market..and purchased zinias..to decorate the folds of their togas.

      W. Pater, Marius the Epicurean vol. I. xi. 187
   5. 1910

      > The hot and scentless glare of zinnias and dahlias.

      Nation 13 August 702/1
   6. 2004

      > She replaced zinnias in the cutting garden with orange tithonia.

      House Beautiful April 114
   plants
   1. ox-eye a1400–
      Any of various central European plants of the family Asteraceae (Compositae) with conspicuous yellow-rayed flowers, belonging (or formerly…
   2. starwort?a1450–
      Any of numerous herbaceous plants of the genus Aster or the cosmopolitan family Asteraceae having stellate flowers of various colours, often yellow…
   3. Jupiter's beard 1567
      A name for various plants. Chrysocoma Linosyris (L. vulgaris), a South European plant with yellow composite flowers. Obsolete.
   4. goldenrod 1568–
      Originally: the perennial herbaceous plant Solidago virgaurea (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), native to Europe and Asia, having erect stems…
   5. achillea 1597
      Any of numerous plants of the chiefly Eurasian genus Achillea (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), which comprises hardy perennials, typically with…
   6. blue camomile 1597–
      Either of two plants of the family Asteraceae (Compositae): (a) the blue-flowered sea aster, Aster tripolium (now rare); (b) German chamomile, Matri…
   7. blue daisy 1597–
      Any of several plants of the families Asteraceae (Compositae) and Plantaginaceae, having blue, somewhat daisy-like, flowers; esp. blue marguerite, Fe…
   8. cineraria 1597–
      A genus of composite plants (now generally included in Senecio), mostly natives of South Africa, with blue or purple flowers, but assuming very…
   9. hog's bean 1597–1846
      The sea aster, Aster tripolium, which has a root apparently eaten by pigs. Obsolete.
   10. jackanapes on horseback 1597–
       (a) Any variety of marigold or daisy which has a flower with smaller flowers or flower-like parts growing from its edge (cf. hen and chickens, n. 2a)…
   11. sea-starwort 1597–
       Aster Tripolium.
   12. sultan flower 1629–
       (Originally †sultan flower (also sultan's flower).) Either of two species of sweet-scented annuals, brought originally from the East, usually…
   13. garden rod 1678–1736
       (Perhaps) goldenrod (genus Solidago).
   14. mouse-ear 1696–
       U.S. More fully mouse-ear everlasting, mouse-ear plantain. The plantain-leaved pussy-toes, Antennaria plantaginifolia (family Asteraceae (Compositae…
   15. aster 1706–
       Botany. A large genus of the family Compositae, with showy radiated flowers, of which the North American species are especially numerous. The only…
   16. Canada goldenrod 1731–
       A type of goldenrod native to central and northeastern North America, Solidago canadensis, having lanceolate three-nerved leaves and small, bright…
   17. China aster 1736–
       In the names of plants native to or associated with China. See also China orange, n., China root, n. 1. A flowering plant native to China and Korea, C…
   18. ageratum 1737–
       Any of various flowering plants constituting the genus Ageratum (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), native chiefly to tropical America; esp. any of…
   19. coreopsis 1751–
       Any of various flowering plants of (or formerly included in) the genus Coreopsis (family Asteraceae), comprising annuals and perennials native to…
   20. rudbeckia 1751–
       Any of numerous tall perennial flowering plants comprising the genus Rudbeckia (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), native to North America and bearing…
   21. melampodium 1754–
       In form Melampodium: a genus of plants of the family Asteraceae (Compositae), comprising white- or yellow-flowered herbs and subshrubs native to…
   22. Aaron's rod 1760–
       Any of several plants with tall, straight flowering stems; esp. the common mullein, Verbascum thapsus, and the European goldenrod, Solidago virgaurea.
   23. zinnia 1761–
       Any of various plants comprising the genus Zinnia (family Asteraceae), native to grassland and scrub from South America to the south-western…
   24. Michaelmas daisy 1767–
       a. Any of various autumn-flowering North American asters, esp. Aster novi-belgii, with deep violet-blue flowers, and numerous garden asters derived…
   25. Canadian goldenrod 1772–
       The Canada goldenrod, Solidago canadensis.
   26. New England aster 1785–
       A Michaelmas daisy, Aster novae-angliae, of central and north-eastern North America, which usually has violet-blue flowers.
   27. catananche 1798–
       The name of a genus (Catananche) of herbs of the family Compositæ with blue or yellow flowers; a plant of this genus.
   28. sea-aster 1812–
       = sea-starwort, n.
   29. cosmea 1813–
       = cosmos, n.³
   30. cosmos 1813–
       A plant of the genus of Compositæ so named, native to tropical America, species of which, bearing rose, scarlet, and purple single dahlia-like…
   31. gazania 1813–
       A plant of the genus of South African herbs so named, belonging to the family Compositæ and having showy yellow or orange flowers.
   32. erigeron 1815–
       A hardy herbaceous annual, biennial, or perennial plant bearing daisy-like flowers and belonging to the large genus so called, of the family Compositæ…
   33. gousblom 1822–
       A plant with showy flowers belonging to any of various species of Arctotis, Gazania, and some other related genera of the family Compositæ.
   34. Christmas daisy 1829–
       Any of various late-flowering asters; esp. (U.S.) Symphyotrichum grandiflorum, which has large purple flowers.
   35. seaside daisy 1829–
       †a. Thrift, Armeria maritima (obsolete rare); b. a perennial herb native to the Pacific coast of North America and now cultivated as a garden plant, E…
   36. rhodanthe 1834–
       Any of numerous Australian and South African xerophytic plants constituting the genus Rhodanthe (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), which have…
   37. tassel-flower 1836–
       a. A tassel-like flower; spec. the orange, scarlet, or yellowish blossom of Emilia sagittata (Cacalia coccinea), N.O. Compositæ, or the plant…
   38. ligularia 1839–
       A herbaceous perennial plant of the genus so called, belonging to the family Compositæ, often native to China or Japan, and bearing yellow flowers.
   39. old maid 1839–
       U.S. A zinnia, Zinnia elegans, much grown in gardens.
   40. mountain daisy 1848–
       New Zealand. Any of various plants of the genus Celmisia (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), chiefly having flowers with yellow discs and white rays…
   41. purple coneflower 1848–
       Any of several North American perennial plants constituting the genus Echinacea (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), esp. E. purpurea, which has…
   42. acroclinium 1852–
       A plant of the former genus Acroclinium (now included in Rhodanthe), of the family Asteraceae (Compositae), which comprises herbaceous annuals…
   43. sea ox-eye 1856–
       The seaside ox-eye (see ox-eye, n. I.1e).
   44. thimble-weed 1860–
       See quot.
   45. helipterum 1862–
       A shrub or herb of the genus so called, belonging to the family Compositæ, native to South Africa and Australia, and including several plants…
   46. treasure-flower 1866–
       Local name of a South African composite flowering plant of the genus Gazania, esp. the species G. Pavonia, the peacock treasure-flower.
   47. West Indian marigold 1866–
       Any of several tropical American plants of the genus Wedelia (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), with flowers that resemble those of the marigold.
   48. Swan River daisy 1873–
       Used attributively in Swan River daisy n. an annual herb of the genus Brachycome, esp. B. iberidifolia, belonging to the family Compositæ, native…
   49. blanket flower 1874–
       A plant of the genus Gaillardia (family Asteraceae), cultivated for its brightly coloured flowers (see Gaillardia, n.).
   50. cone-flower 1879–
       A name for the genus Rudbeckia.
   51. blue marguerite 1882–
       The perennial plant Felicia amelloides (family Asteraceae (Compositae)), native to southern Africa, having blue daisy-like flowers with yellow…
   52. Solidago 1883–
       A plant of this genus, esp. S. virgaurea, a European and British species, formerly in repute for its medicinal properties, now largely cultivated as…
   53. yellow-top 1887–
       U.S. Any of various North American goldenrods (genus Solidago). Now rare.
   54. youth and old age 1887–
       = zinnia, n.
   55. Gaillardia 1888–
       A genus of composite plants, producing showy flowers, for the most part red with a border of yellow.
   56. gerbera 1889–
       A plant of the genus so named, of the family Compositæ; spec. the Transvaal daisy. Also gerbera daisy.
   57. pussytoes 1892–
       Any of various woolly plants of the genus Antennaria (family Asteraceae (Compositae)); spec. (more fully plantain-leaved pussytoes) A. plantaginifolia…
   58. niggerhead 1893–
       Now usually offensive. U.S. The black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, whose flower has yellow rays and a dark centre.
   59. Barberton daisy 1899–
       A gerbera; spec. a flowering plant native to south-eastern Africa, Gerbera jamesonii, ancestral to many horticultural varieties of gerbera (also…
   60. Transvaal daisy 1899–
       Gerbera Jamesonii, a composite plant, introduced to Britain from the Transvaal in 1888.
   61. onion grass 1909–
       Australian. Any of several crocus-like plants of the genus Romulea (family Iridaceae) naturalized in Australia; esp. R. rosea.
   62. Barberton 1916–
       A Barberton daisy; a gerbera.
   63. ursinia 1928–
       An annual or perennial aromatic herb of the genus of this name, belonging to the family Compositæ, native to South Africa, and bearing orange…
   64. Cupid's dart 1930–
       Cupid's bow, designation of a shape or outline resembling the double-curved bow of Cupid. Cupid's dart, (a) The popular name for a variety of Catan…
   65. Livingstone daisy 1932–
       A low-growing annual plant with fleshy greyish-green leaves and brightly coloured daisy-like flowers, Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (family Aizoaceae)…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɪniə/
ZIN-ee-uh

### U.S. English

/ˈzɪniə/
ZIN-ee-uh

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1700s–
   zennia, zinnia
2. 1800s–
   zenia, zinia

## Frequency

zinnia typically occurs about 0.1 times per million words in modern written English.

zinnia is in frequency band 4, which contains words occurring between 0.1 and 1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zinnia, n., 1770–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1770 | 0.0088
1780 | 0.0068
1790 | 0.0059
1800 | 0.005
1810 | 0.0055
1820 | 0.0026
1830 | 0.003
1840 | 0.0043
1850 | 0.0074
1860 | 0.0095
1870 | 0.015
1880 | 0.024
1890 | 0.04
1900 | 0.054
1910 | 0.085
1920 | 0.12
1930 | 0.15
1940 | 0.15
1950 | 0.16
1960 | 0.15
1970 | 0.14
1980 | 0.12
1990 | 0.12
2000 | 0.12
2010 | 0.12

### Frequency of zinnia, n., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.045
2018 | 0.048
2019 | 0.054
2020 | 0.068
2021 | 0.078
2022 | 0.086
2023 | 0.093
2024 | 0.097

zinnia, n. was revised in March 2021.

zinnia, n. was last modified in July 2023.