wallflower: Meaning and Definition of

wall•flow•er

Pronunciation: (wôl'flou"ur), [key]
— n.
  1. a person who, because of shyness, unpopularity, or lack of a partner, remains at the side at a party or dance.
  2. any person, organization, etc., that remains on or has been forced to the sidelines of any activity: The firm was a wallflower in this year's bidding for government contracts.
  3. a European plant, Cheiranthus cheiri, of the mustard family, that, when growing wild on walls, cliffs, etc., has sweet-scented, usually yellow or orange flowers, but when cultivated has flowers varying in color from pale yellow to brown-red or purple.
  4. any of several related plants of the genera Cheiranthus and Erysimum.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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