oxalis

[ ok-suh-lis, ok-sal-is ]

/ ˈɒk sə lɪs, ɒkˈsæl ɪs /

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noun

any plant of the genus Oxalis, comprising the wood sorrels.

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Origin of oxalis

1595–1605; <Latin: garden sorrel, sour wine <Greek oxalís, derivative of oxýs sharp

Words nearby oxalis

oxalate, oxalate calculus, oxalemia, oxalic, oxalic acid, oxalis, oxaloacetic acid, oxalosis, oxalosuccinic acid, oxaluria, oxazepam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use oxalis in a sentence

The oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is an oval-shaped root; the skin pale red, and the inside white.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
It was oxalis, or sorrel, and sometimes the children nibbled the sour leaves, calling it sour-grass.
A Little Garden Calendar for Boys and Girls|Albert Bigelow Paine
If you can find a dimorphic Oxalis it will be a new point, for all known species are trimorphic or monomorphic.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin
I have written to my gardener to send you plants of Oxalis corniculata (and seeds if possible).
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

Another tiny flower is very much like mother's treasured pink oxalis; but is only the bloom of wood sorrel.
To and Through Nebraska|Frances I. Sims Fulton

British Dictionary definitions for oxalis

oxalis

/ (ˈɒksəlɪs, ɒkˈsælɪs) /

noun

any plant of the genus Oxalis, having clover-like leaves which contain oxalic acid and white, pink, red, or yellow flowers: family OxalidaceaeSee also wood sorrel

Word Origin for oxalis

C18: via Latin from Greek: sorrel, sour wine, from oxus acid, sharp

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