Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The typical genus of the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, characterized by having its achlamydeous. unisexual flowers within a cup-shaped, calyx-like involucre, the central solitary pistillate flower being surrounded by numerous monandrous staminate ones, and the whole resembling a perfect flower.
  • noun [lowercase] A plant of this genus.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) Spurge, or bastard spurge, a genus of plants of many species, mostly shrubby, herbaceous succulents, affording an acrid, milky juice. Some of them are armed with thorns. Most of them yield powerful emetic and cathartic products.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A taxonomic genus within the family Euphorbiaceae — with numerous flowering plant species, which may grow as herbs, shrubs, or trees, but all typically with latex and paired spines..

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun type genus of the Euphorbiaceae: very large genus of diverse plants all having milky juice

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek  (Euphorbus, "a Trojan surgeon mentioned in the Iliad.")

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  • Large genus (~600 species) of the flowering plant family Euphorbiaceae. Genus name of the familiar poinsettia.

    euvocalic, euoia

    June 21, 2010