Christmas rose

[kris-muhs rohz]

noun

1. a European hellebore, Helleborus niger, widely cultivated for its attractive and hardy evergreen leaves and white-to-purplish flowers that bloom in the winter: the entire Christmas rose plant is poisonous.

Christmas rose

noun

1. Also called: hellebore.  winter rose. an evergreen ranunculaceous plant, Helleborus niger, of S Europe and W Asia, with white or pinkish winter-blooming flowers

Word History and Origins

Origin of Christmas rose¹

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

Grocery sales over Christmas rose by 0.1% in the six weeks to 8 January, compared to the year before.

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Even in December, the garden bears flowers: Helleborus niger — Christmas roses — with their blowzy blossoms in faded Victorian shades of lavender and sage.

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The wild Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, is a fussy garden plant and is even unhappier when confined to a pot.

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The death toll from a storm that struck the Philippines shortly after Christmas rose to 68 with the number of fatalities expected to climb even higher, civil defence officials said Monday.

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But Hermione raised her wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them.

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