n.
Pronunciation: k ə - ' m ē l-y ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin Camellia, from Camellus (Georg Josef Kamel † 1706 Moravian Jesuit missionary)
Date: circa 1753
: any of a genus ( Camellia ) of shrubs or trees of the tea family especially : an ornamental greenhouse shrub ( C. japonica ) with glossy leaves and roselike flowers