citronella
[ si-truh-nel-uh ]
/ ˌsɪ trəˈnɛl ə /
noun
a fragrant grass, Cymbopogon nardus, of southern Asia, cultivated as the source of citronella oil.
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Origin of citronella
Words nearby citronella
citriculture, citrin, citrine, citron, citronalis, citronella, citronellal, citronella oil, citronellol, citron melon, citron wood
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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
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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
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