GELSEMIUM

Gelsemium, genus Gelsemium

(noun) evergreen twining shrubs of Americas and southeastern Asia

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

From the genus name.

Noun

gelsemium (plural gelsemiums)

Any of several flowering plants, of the genus Gelsemium, many of which are poisonous.

Hyponyms

• (Gelsemium): heartbreak grass (Gelsemium elegans); Rankin's jessamine, swamp jessamine, Rankin's trumpetflower (Gelsemium rankinii); yellow jessamine, Carolina jessamine, evening trumpetflower (Gelsemium sempervirens)

Source: Wiktionary


Gel*se"mium, n. Etym: [NL., fr. It. gelsomino jasmine.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: A genus of climbing plants. The yellow (false) jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is a native of the Southern United States. It has showy and deliciously fragrant flowers.

2. (Med.)

Definition: The root of the yellow jasmine, used in malarial fevers, etc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

coffee icon