ephedra

[ ih-fed-ruh, ef-i-druh ]

noun

any of various plants of the genus Ephedra, growing in dry regions and having branching stems with dry scalelike leaves.

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Origin of ephedra

<New Latin (Linnaeus) <Greek ephédra the horsetail plant, literally, sitting (upon a place), equivalent to ep-ep- + hédra seat, sitting (see cathedra)

Words Nearby ephedra

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ephedra in a sentence

The main ingredient was ephedra, which was shortly after taken off the market for causing heart attacks.
Why Smart People Are Dumb Patients | Jean Kim | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
With small and abundantly-produced flowers, this resembles ephedra, hence its name.
Hardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and Shrubs | A. D. Webster
Scarcely any change in vegetation occurs: an ephedra, very common up the kotul and abundantly in fruit.
Journals of Travels in Assam, Burma, Bhootan, Afghanistan and The | William Griffith

British Dictionary definitions for ephedra

ephedra

/ (ɪˈfɛdrə) /

noun

any gymnosperm shrub of the genus Ephedra, of warm regions of America and Eurasia: the source of ephedrine: family Ephedraceae, phylum Gnetophyta

Origin of ephedra

C18: New Latin, from Latin, from Greek ephedros a sitting upon, from epi- + hedra seat

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

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