- bou|gain|vil|lae|a
- bou|gain|vil|le|a or bou|gain|vil|lae|a «BOO guhn- VIHL ee uh», noun.any one of a genus of tropical American climbing shrubs. The decorative “blossoms” of bougainvillea consist of large, bright-colored leaves (bracts) surrounding very small flowers. Bougainvillea belongs to the four-o'clock family.╂[< New Latin Bougainvillaea the genus name < L. A. de Bougainville, 1729-1811, a French navigator and explorer]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.