Adjacent Words

Oleander definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OLEAN'DER, n. a plant of the genus Nerium the rose-bay or South sea rose; a beautiful shrub with flowers in clusters, of a fine purple color, but of an indifferent smell. The plant, especially the bark of the roots, is said to be poisonous.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an ornamental but poisonous flowering shrub having narrow evergreen leaves and clusters of fragrant white to pink or red flowers: native to East Indies but widely cultivated in warm regions [syn: oleander, rose bay, Nerium oleander]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Medieval Latin, alteration of arodandrum, lorandrum, perhaps alteration of Latin rhododendron — more at rhododendron Date: 1545 a poisonous evergreen shrub (Nerium oleander) of the dogbane family with clusters of fragrant white to red flowers

Britannica Concise

Any of the ornamental evergreen shrubs of the genus Nerium (dogbane family), which have poisonous milky juice. Numerous varieties of flower color in the common oleander, or rosebay (N. oleander), have been introduced from greenhouse culture and are grown outdoors in warmer climates. All parts of the plant are very toxic if eaten, and contact with them may cause skin irritation.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. an evergreen poisonous shrub, Nerium oleander, native to the Mediterranean and bearing clusters of white, pink, or red flowers. Etymology: med.L

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Oleander O`le*an"der, n. [F. ol['e]andre (cf. It. oleandro, LL. lorandrum), prob. corrupted, under the influence of laurus laurel, fr. L. rhododendron, Gr. ?; ? rose + ? tree.] (Bot.) A beautiful evergreen shrub of the Dogbane family, having clusters of fragrant red or white flowers. It is native of the East Indies, but the red variety has become common in the south of Europe. Called also rosebay, rose laurel, and South-sea rose. Note: Every part of the plant is dangerously poisonous, and death has occured from using its wood for skewers in cooking meat.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(oleanders) An oleander is an evergreen tree or shrub that has white, pink, or purple flowers. Oleanders grow in Mediterranean countries and in some parts of Asia and Australia. N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Rose-bay (Nerium oleander).