citronella
[ si-truh-nel-uh ]
/ ˌsɪ trəˈnɛl ə /
Save This Word!
noun
a fragrant grass, Cymbopogon nardus, of southern Asia, cultivated as the source of citronella oil.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE MANY TYPES OF NOUNS
They're everywhere you turn, but can you identify the 10 types of nouns easily? This quiz will test your mettle against singular, plural, concrete, abstract, common, proper, collective, compound, countable, and uncountable nouns!
Question 1 of 7
Shoelaces, rainbow, toothpaste, and haircuts are all what type of noun?
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of citronella
Words nearby citronella
citriculture, citrin, citrine, citron, citronalis, citronella, citronellal, citronella oil, citronellol, citron melon, citron wood
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for citronella
British Dictionary definitions for citronella
citronella
/ (ˌsɪtrəˈnɛlə) /
noun
Also called: citronella grass a tropical Asian grass, Cymbopogon (or Andropogon) nardus, with bluish-green lemon-scented leaves
Also called: citronella oil the yellow aromatic oil obtained from this grass, used in insect repellents, soaps, perfumes, etc
Word Origin for citronella
C19: New Latin, from French citronnelle lemon balm, from citron lemon
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
Scientific definitions for citronella
citronella
[ sĭt′rə-nĕl′ə ]
The pale-yellow, lemon-scented oil obtained from the leaves of a tropical Asian grass (Cymbopogon nardus), used in insect repellents and perfumes. Citronella consists primarily of an aldehyde of octane.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.