butcher's-broom

American  

[booch-erz-broom, -broom] / ˈbʊtʃ ərzˌbrum, -ˌbrʊm /

noun

1. a shrubby European evergreen, Ruscus aculeatus, of the lily family: used for making brooms.

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butcher's-broom British  

noun

1. a liliaceous evergreen shrub, Ruscus aculeatus , that has stiff prickle-tipped flattened green stems, which resemble and function as true leaves. The plant was formerly used for making brooms

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Etymology

Origin of butcher's-broom

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

My precautions lead to nothing: the insect obstinately refuses the butcher's-broom, on which I thought that I might rely after the smilax had been accepted.

From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander

They are the shrubby hare's-ear, the honeysuckle, the prickly butcher's-broom, the box.

From Bramble-Bees and Others by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander