The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. Any of several evergreen shrubs or small trees of the genus Camellia native to eastern Asia, especially C. japonica, having shiny leaves and showy roselike flowers that are usually red, white, or pink.
n. Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. An Asiatic genus of small shrubs, often with shining leaves and showy flowers. Camellia Japonica is much cultivated for ornament, and Camellia Sassanqua and Camellia oleifera are grown in China for the oil which is pressed from their seeds. The tea plant is now referred to this genus under the name of Camellia Thea.
n. An ornamental greenhouse shrub (Thea japonica) with glossy evergreen leaves and roselike red or white double flowers.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A genus containing about a dozen species of shrubs or small trees, belonging to the natural order Ternstrœmiaceœ, natives of tropical and eastern Asia and the Indian archipelago.
n. [lowercase] A flower of the genus Camellia, especially of C. Japonica.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. any of several shrubs or small evergreen trees having solitary white or pink or reddish flowers
Word Usage
"By the way, the name camellia is derived from _Camellas_, a learned Jesuit; probably _La Dame aux"