oxalis

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

/ ˈɒk sə lɪs, ɒkˈsæl ɪs /

noun

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

Nearby words

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

Origin of oxalis

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

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

Examples from the Web for oxalis

Have you seeds of Oxalis sensitiva, which I see mentioned in books?
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin
Fra Angelico's use of the oxalis acetosella is as faithful in representation as touching in feeling.
Modern Painters Volume I (of V)|John Ruskin
For a hanging-basket use the oxalis, of which there are many beautiful varieties.
A Garden with House Attached|Sarah Warner Brooks
Can you spare me a good plant (or even two) of Oxalis sensitiva?
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume II|Charles Darwin

Oxalis stricta (yellow wood-sorrel), 1853, at Smith's and his wood-path.
The Maine Woods|Henry David Thoreau

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