clematis Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of various ornamental climbing plants of the genus Clematis usually having showy flowers

WordNet

Clem"a*tis noun
Etymology
NL., fr. Gr. brushwood, also (from its long, lithe branches) clematis. fr. twig, shoot, fr. to break off.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of flowering plants, of many species, mostly climbers, having feathery styles, which greatly enlarge in the fruit; -- called also virgin's bower.

Webster 1913