What does vinca mean?
Vinca is a noun used chiefly in botany and horticulture for a plant in the genus Vinca, the group that includes evergreen periwinkles such as Vinca major and Vinca minor. The plants are low-growing and spreading, with glossy opposite leaves and, in many varieties, blue-purple flowers. Because some species can root at the tips of trailing stems and spread vigorously, a vinca can gradually cover a bank, slope, or shaded border, giving it both ornamental appeal and occasional notoriety as an invasive or difficult-to-control groundcover. In general writing, “vinca” is less common than the familiar word “periwinkle,” but it remains useful when the speaker wants a broader botanical label or is discussing the genus as a whole. The word also has a memorable scientific legacy: Vinca is the source name associated with vinca alkaloids, including the important chemotherapy agents vincristine and vinblastine. Thus, a word that may first suggest an invasive garden plant also points to a significant branch of modern medicine.
nounAny plant of the genus Vinca, a group of low-growing evergreen periwinkles with blue, purple, or occasionally white flowers.
- Any plant belonging to the genus Vinca, especially the evergreen periwinkles Vinca major and Vinca minor.
"She planted a vinca along the shady wall, where its trailing stems would eventually form a green carpet."
"She planted a vinca along the shady wall, where its trailing stems would eventually form a green carpet."
"The botanist compared the smaller leaves of Vinca minor with those of the more vigorous Vinca major."
The plural is occasional; formal botanical discussion usually uses the established genus and species names.
"The gardener planted several vincas along the northern edge of the garden."
Vinca is more than a garden creeper: its name also lives on in chemotherapy drugs such as vincristine and vinblastine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vinca
The English word entered through New Latin from Latin vinca. The name is generally connected with Latin vincere, “to conquer,” perhaps because of the plant’s creeping and tenacious growth. The same Latin root underlies cognates including victor, victory, conquer, and vincible.
How vinca is actually used
This is primarily a botanical and horticultural term, uncommon in general prose except in discussions of garden plants or the genus as a whole.
Easily confused with vinca
Vinca names a genus of flowering plants, whereas Vinci is a surname and the name of an Italian town.