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Adam's-needle

American  
[ad-uhmz-need-l] / ˈæd əmzˈnid l /

noun

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

Adam's-needle British  

noun

  1. 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 plant See 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

Etymology

Origin of Adam's-needle

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.