aloe

American  

[al-oh] / ˈæl oʊ /

noun

• aloes
  plural

1. any chiefly African shrub belonging to the genus Aloe, of the lily family, certain species of which yield a fiber.

2. aloe vera.

3. century plant.

4. (used with a singular verb) aloes, agalloch.

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aloe British  

/ ˌæləʊˈɛtɪk, ˈæləʊ /

noun

1. any plant of the liliaceous genus Aloe, chiefly native to southern Africa, with fleshy spiny-toothed leaves and red or yellow flowers

2. another name for century plant

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aloetic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aloes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aloe

First recorded before 950; Middle English alōe, alow, alewen; Old English al(u)we, alewe (compare Old Saxon, Old High German āloê ), from Latin aloē, from Greek alóē, perhaps from South Asia via Hebrew

Explanation

Aloe is a succulent, flowering plant that's native to Africa. You can grow aloe as a houseplant on a windowsill, and it can soothe your skin when you are suffering from a sunburn. The aloe plant is well-known because one variety, aloe vera, is commonly grown for the soothing qualities of its gel-like insides, which are used in lotions and cosmetics. You can use aloe to treat a sunburn, from a plant or a bottle purchased at a pharmacy or health food store. The Old English root is alewe, "fragrant resin of an East Indian tree."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aloe aloes

So I went ahead and swapped my normal creams containing high amounts of glycerin, aloe and other plant-based ingredients for tallow-based alternatives for a two-week period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

"What that means is that, in the case of the squirrel, it nibbled on aloe and took those metabolites into its own bloodstream," explained Bromage.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2026

But there is one little thing: Okra, like marshmallow root and aloe vera, is mucilaginous, meaning it can get slimy when sliced and cooked.

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2025

One suggested applying milk of magnesia to the face, followed by aloe and sunscreen.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

A cutting of aloe vera that Lena gave me did not belong anywhere because we had no other succulents.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Succulents such as aloes and agaves have waxy cuticles with sunken stomata, helping to reduce water loss.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

I’m more of a nickname girl, so I have my buttons and my beans, of course, and my string of pearls, string of buttons, Echeverias and different types of aloes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2021

We caught one doctor from Japan who specialized in dwarf aloes, poaching them in the Western Cape Province, and another doctor from Germany who was a world expert in orchids.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 11, 2015

Great Zimbabwe is set amid an arid landscape, all aloes and thorn trees and dust.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2015

There, people “cast their nets outspread into the river, at night; and when morning comes, they find in their nets such goods as .., ginger, rhubarb, wood of aloes, and cinnamon.”

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson