neem

[ neem ]

/ nim /

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

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

Nearby words

needling, needn't, needs, needs test, needy, neem, neem tree, neenah, neencephalic, neencephalon, neep

Origin of neem

1805–15; < Hindi nīm < Sanskrit nimba

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for neem

This appeared to disconcert the latter, who went back to the neem tree and rested there for a few minutes.
Glimpses of Indian Birds|Douglas Dewar
"Ik heb not the neem of Jan," snarled the detected Koets, retiring in disorder.
The Dop Doctor|Clotilde Inez Mary Graves
Suddenly Mark recalled his glimpse of the butler in close conversation under the neem tree with Zynool's double.
A Bottle in the Smoke|Milne Rae
Me neem is Costigan, madam, a poor gentleman of Oireland, binding to circumstances and forced to follow a disagrayable profession.
The Virginians|William Makepeace Thackeray

Gandhi, however, bit by bit was eating the neem paste with as much relish as if it had been a delicious sweetmeat.
Autobiography of a YOGI|Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for neem

neem

/ (niːm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for neem

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