lavenders

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of lavender.

   The gardener planted rows of lavenders along the stone path.

   Different lavenders bloom at slightly different times through the summer.

   Note

   A plural that counts plants or shades rather than stuff. Gardeners speak of lavenders when they mean several kinds of Lavandula, and painters do when they mean several tones of pale bluish purple. A sachet of dried flowers or the color in general is simply lavender. The old film-stock sense, a historical term from duplicating negatives, never takes the plural, and the adjective never does either.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of lavender.

   Note

   The verb behind this form is transitive. Someone lavenders something, such as drawers, blankets or a linen closet, by scenting or decorating it with the flower. An object always follows, so a sentence like "she lavenders every spring" feels unfinished. The spelling is shared with the plural of the plant, but context separates them at once. After a singular subject it is the verb, and after a number or article it is the noun.

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