An azalea is a woody plant with shiny, dark-green leaves which produces many brightly-coloured flowers in the spring.
azalea in British English
(əˈzeɪljə)
noun
any ericaceous plant of the group Azalea, formerly a separate genus but now included in the genus Rhododendron: cultivated for their showy pink or purple flowers
Word origin
C18: via New Latin from Greek, from azaleos dry; from its supposed preference for a dry situation
azalea in American English
(əˈzeɪljə)
noun
1.
any of various flowering shrubs (genus Rhododendron) of the heath family: the flowers are of various colors, and the leaves are usually shed each season
2.
the flower of any of these shrubs
Word origin
ModL < Gr, fem. of azaleos, dry: so called because it thrives in dry soil