mock orange

noun

Also called syringa. any of various shrubs belonging to the genus Philadelphus, of the saxifrage family, especially P. coronarius, a widely cultivated species having fragrant white flowers.

any of various other shrubs or trees having flowers or fruit resembling those of the orange, as the laurel cherry.

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Origin of mock orange

First recorded in 1725–35

Words nearby mock orange

mock, mock chicken, mock epic, mock mold, mock moon, mock orange, mock pendulum, mock pennyroyal, mock sun, mock turtle soup, mock-heroic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for mock orange

The breath of blown Peonies scents the summer air along with the languorous odor of the mock-orange flowers.
A Garden with House Attached|Sarah Warner Brooks
They held their breath; and I held mine, pressing my body into the mock-orange bush until the twigs cracked.
The Adventures of Harry Revel|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The guelder-rose's summer snow-balls, and the mock-orange with its penetrating odor, whiten the still gardens as we pass.
Nancy|Rhoda Broughton
"Never mind, Prue; we'll give him a mock-orange some day," said her mother.
A Little Garden Calendar for Boys and Girls|Albert Bigelow Paine

A smooth well-shaped gourd (mock-orange) makes a serviceable darning egg.
Home Occupations for Boys and Girls|Bertha Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for mock orange

mock orange

noun

Also called: syringa any shrub of the genus Philadelphus, esp P. coronarius, with white fragrant flowers that resemble those of the orange: family Philadelphaceae

any other shrub or tree that resembles the orange tree

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