Pronunciation: ˌ he-l ə - ' k ō -n ē - ə , -ny ə
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, ultimately from Greek Helik ō nios, from Helik ō n Helicon, mountain in Greece
Date: 1838
: any of a genus ( Heliconia of the family Heliconiaceae) of perennial herbs of tropical America and islands of the western Pacific having showy brightly colored bracts and large leaves