ephedra

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

/ ɪˈfɛd rə, ˈɛf ɪ drə /

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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

ephapse, ephebe, ephebiatrics, ephebic, ephebus, ephedra, ephedrine, ephelis, ephemera, ephemeral, ephemerality

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|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

Word Origin for 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

Medical definitions for ephedra

ephedra

[ ĭ-fĕd′rə, ĕf′ĭ-drə ]

Any of various mostly shrubby gymnosperms of the genus Ephedra, some of which (especially E. sinica) are used as a source of ephedrine.

A stimulant derived from a plant of this genus.