oleander
[oh-lee-an-der, oh-lee-an-]
- a poisonous shrub, Nerium oleander, of the dogbane family, native to southern Eurasia, having evergreen leaves and showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers, and widely cultivated as an ornamental.
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Origin of oleander
1540–50; < Medieval Latin oleander, oliandrum, obscurely akin to Late Latin laurandrum, perhaps a conflation of Latin laurus laurel and rhododendron rhododendron
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for oleander
Historical Examples
Whatever it was, poor Oleander was certainly hard at work now.
Mary Louise and Josie O'GormanEmma Speed Sampson
Near them was a grove of oleander bushes, loaded with beautiful blossoms.
The Giraffe HuntersMayne Reid
Such terms as "gravel" and "oleander" had produced this attraction.
The Rest Hollow MysteryRebecca N. Porter
Fig. 52 shows an oleander cutting at a, a carnation at b, and a geranium at c.
The Nursery BookLiberty Hyde Bailey
You yourself, maestro, told me to resort to the oleander leaves.
The Wolf CubPatrick Casey
oleander
- a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean apocynaceous shrub or tree, Nerium oleander, with fragrant white, pink, or purple flowersAlso called: rosebay
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Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin, variant of arodandrum, perhaps from Latin rhododendron
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for oleander
n.
"rose bay," a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean shrub, c.1400, from Medieval Latin oleander, probably (by influence of Latin olea "olive tree") from Late Latin lorandrum, from Latin rhododendron (see rhododendron), itself altered by influence of Latin laurea "laurel," on resemblance of leaves. This round-about etymology is supported by the French word for it, laurier rose.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper