What does geranium mean?
Word: Geranium
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Geranium means a garden or pot plant with round leaves and bright red, pink or white flowers.
Word origin: Comes from Greek geranos, 'crane', because the long seed pod looks like a crane's beak.
How do you spell geranium?
Syllables: ge - ra - ni - um
Tricky part: Students hear ge-RAY-ni-um and slip an i in after the a (gerainium); the middle is just r-a-n.
Watch out for: gerainium, jeranium, gereanium
Memory tip: Imagine a crane, geranos in Greek, wading through a flower bed: copy the bird's g-e-r-a-n and let no extra i sneak in.
Geranium in a sentence
Example 1: Grandma keeps red geraniums on the balcony of her flat in Edinburgh.
Example 2: A geranium needs plenty of sun and not too much water.
Example 3: Emma planted a pink geranium in an old paint tin and set it by the gate.
Fun Fact
Many of the plants sold as geraniums for pots and window boxes really belong to a related group called Pelargonium; the old name has simply stuck.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
12345678 NAGERIMU
a) 34521687
b) 53481762
c) 76852314
d) 36754812
Show answer
a) 34521687. Start with the g at position 3 and let the sound of the word guide you through the rest.
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our neighbour's terrace was bright with potted geraniems, a trellis of jasmine and a small stone bird bath in one corner.
a) a climbing plant with sweet-smelling white or yellow flowers
b) a light frame of crossed strips that climbing plants grow up
c) a shallow bowl of water in a garden for birds to wash in
d) a flowering plant with scalloped, often scented leaves
Show answer
d) a flowering plant with scalloped, often scented leaves. Spot the iem: the plant's name really ends i-u-m, like aquarium.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ge' pronounced differently?
a) gesture
b) geranium
c) gecko
d) general
Show answer
c) gecko. Gecko starts with a hard g, as in get; the other three begin with a j sound.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. geranium 2. hibiscus 3. lotus a. a shrub with large trumpet-shaped flowers, often seen in tropical gardens b. a plant that grows in ponds, with flowers that rise above the water c. a pot plant whose leaves give off a sharp smell when rubbed
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. The lotus rises from a pond and the hibiscus opens big trumpet flowers, so the window-box plant with strong-smelling leaves is the geranium.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A nursery that sells geraniums is mainly selling ____.
a) young trees for timber
b) grass for new lawns
c) flowering plants for pots and beds
d) seeds for wheat and rice
Show answer
c) flowering plants for pots and beds
2. Which word names another garden plant?
a) magpie
b) mackerel
c) marble
d) marigold
Show answer
d) marigold
