Adam's-needle

[ad-uh mz-need-l]

noun

a yucca, Yucca filamentosa, grown as an ornamental, having sword-shaped leaves and a tall spike of creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers.

Origin of Adam's-needle

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for adam's-needle

Adam's-needle

noun

a North American liliaceous plant, Yucca filamentosa, that has a tall woody stem, stiff pointed leaves, and large clusters of white flowers arranged in spikes. It is cultivated as an ornamental plantSee also Spanish bayonet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012