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alexanders

[ al-ig-zan-derz, -zahn- ]
/ ˌæl ɪgˈzæn dərz, -ˈzɑn- /
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noun, plural al·ex·an·ders.(used with a singular or plural verb)
a tall plant, Angelica atropurpurea, of the parsley family, having broad clusters of small white flowers.
a related plant, Smyrnium olusatrum, having yellowish flowers.
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Origin of alexanders

Probably <French alexandre(s); compare Middle English alisaundre (< OF), Old English alexandre<Medieval Latin (petroselīnum) Alexandrīnum a name for Smyrnium olusatrum, and synonymous with Medieval Latin petroselīnum Macedonicum, apparently through association of Macedonia with Alexander the Great; cf. parsley
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use alexanders in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alexanders

alexanders
/ (ˌælɪɡˈzɑːndəz) /

noun
a biennial umbelliferous plant, Smyrnium olusatrum, native to S Europe, with dense umbels of yellow-green flowers and black fruits
golden alexanders an umbelliferous plant, Zizia aurea, of North America, having yellow flowers in compound umbels

Word Origin for alexanders

Old English, from Medieval Latin alexandrum, probably (through association in folk etymology with Alexander the Great) changed from Latin holus atrum black vegetable
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
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