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wintergreen

Syllabification: (win·ter·green)
Pronunciation: /ˈwintərˌgrēn/

Definition of wintergreen

noun

  • 1a North American plant from which a pungent oil is obtained, in particular the checkerberry or related shrubs.
  • (also oil of wintergreen) a pungent oil containing methyl salicylate, now obtained chiefly from the sweet birch or made synthetically, used medicinally and as a flavoring.
  • 2a low-growing plant of acid soils in north temperate regions, with spikes of white bell-shaped flowers.
    • Chimaphila, Pyrola and other genera, family Pyrolaceae (the wintergreen family): several species, including the spotted wintergreen (C. maculata)

Origin:

mid 16th century: the plants so named because of remaining green in winter, suggested by Dutch wintergroen, German Wintergrün

wintergreen in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of wintergreen in the British & World English dictionary

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