oleander

[ oh-lee-an-der, oh-lee-an- ]

/ ˈoʊ liˌæn dər, ˌoʊ liˈæn- /

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noun

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 lauruslaurel and rhododendronrhododendron

Words nearby oleander

ole-, olea, oleaceous, oleaginous, Olean, oleander, olearia, oleaster, oleate, olecranon, OLED

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

How to use oleander in a sentence

White Oleander (2002) may be the most underrated movie about maternal malevolence.
Hollywood's Bad Mother Obsession|Stephen Farber|December 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The moment I will never forget came one day at school behind a pink oleander bush during recess.
Top 10 Clues DeLay Was Born to Dance|Lloyd Grove|August 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Over all swayed a few aged cypresses, an oleander thicket, ferns, and the twining wild vine.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
All your little Rose asks is the right to an occasional Wednesday matinée when business droops like a sick oleander.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson

Whatever it was, poor Oleander was certainly hard at work now.
Mary Louise and Josie O'Gorman|Emma Speed Sampson
Cyrène passed down her favourite oleander path at sunset to the great vinery in the Noailles garden.
The False Chevalier|William Douw Lighthall
The loveliness of the oleander blossoms and the sunset over the garden made a harmony with her dream.
The False Chevalier|William Douw Lighthall

British Dictionary definitions for oleander

oleander

/ (ˌəʊlɪˈændə) /

noun

a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean apocynaceous shrub or tree, Nerium oleander, with fragrant white, pink, or purple flowersAlso called: rosebay

Word Origin for oleander

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012