neem

American  

[neem] / nim /

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

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neem British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of neem

1805–15; < Hindi nīm < Sanskrit nimba

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neem

They said we had an unidentified pest and pointed us to the neem oil.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

The sauce entrepreneur is in a reflective mood as she tries to cool down in the shade of a towering neem tree near her home in Kpone Katamanso district, southern Ghana.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2022

Depending on your visitor, you may need an organic treatment such as neem oil, insecticidal soap, or sticky fly traps.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2022

Hemsley applies a concoction of equal parts Castile soap, water and neem oil to leaves.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2021

That morning, the three of us brushed our teeth using neem twigs, like Amma said people had done in the old days.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman