neem

[ neem ]

  1. a product of the seeds of a tropical tree, Azadirachta indica, of the mahogany family, that disrupts reproduction in insects, used as an insecticide.

  2. Also called neem tree, nim tree, margosa. the tree itself.

Origin of neem

1
1805–15; <Hindi nīm<Sanskrit nimba

Words Nearby neem

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

How to use neem in a sentence

  • While greeting him I heard a great clamour of scolding babblers (Crateropus canorus) emanating from a neem tree hard by.

    Jungle Folk | Douglas Dewar
  • "Ik heb not the neem of Jan," snarled the detected Koets, retiring in disorder.

    The Dop Doctor | Clotilde Inez Mary Graves
  • My elder sister Uma and I were seated in the early morning under a neem tree in our Gorakhpur compound.

    Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa Yogananda
  • In accordance with ancient custom, the master gave to people in general a neem 35-19 oil for the cure of various diseases.

    Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa Yogananda
  • On the side of his plate was a large lump of very bitter neem leaves, a notable blood cleanser.

    Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for neem

neem

/ (niːm) /


noun
  1. a large tree of India, Azadirachta indica, all parts of which are useful to man: the leaves act as a natural pesticide, the fruit and seeds yield a medicinal oil, the bark is used to make a tonic, and the trunk exudes a gum

Origin of neem

1
C19: from Hindi nīm, from Sanskrit nimba

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