pennyroyal

[ pen-ee-roi-uhl ]

/ ˌpɛn iˈrɔɪ əl /

Save This Word!

noun

an aromatic Old World plant, Mentha pulegium, of the mint family, having clusters of small purple flowers and yielding a pungent essential oil used medicinally and as an insect repellent.

Also called mock pennyroyal. a similar, related plant, Hedeoma pulegioides, of eastern North America, having bluish flowers growing from the leaf axils.

any of several other aromatic plants of the mint family.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pennyroyal

1520–30; penny + royal; replacing late Middle English puliol real<Anglo-French; Middle French poliol (<Latin *pūlēgiōlum, diminutive of pūlēgium pennyroyal) + real, earlier form of royal

Words nearby pennyroyal

penny-farthing, penny loafer, penny pincher, penny-pinching, penny post, pennyroyal, penny shares, penny stock, pennyweight, penny whistle, penny-wise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use pennyroyal in a sentence

And Kurt was so happy with it that a few months later he asked me to do another video for them for a song called “Pennyroyal Tea.”
How Nirvana Shot the ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ Video|Andrew Romano|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I told her to bring me some pennyroyal along from the field next the quarry.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
Aunt Maria told me you were here—she is impatient for her pennyroyal.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
There were no iron-clad rules in this comfortable household, especially when Pennyroyal, the help, was away.
David Dunne|Belle Kanaris Maniates

The school year ended and Pennyroyal, the “hired help,” who had been paying her annual visit to her sister, came back to the farm.
David Dunne|Belle Kanaris Maniates
Pennyroyal baked griddle-sized cakes, delivering them one at a time direct from 115 the stove to the consumer.
David Dunne|Belle Kanaris Maniates

British Dictionary definitions for pennyroyal

pennyroyal

/ (ˌpɛnɪˈrɔɪəl) /

noun

a Eurasian plant, Mentha pulegium, with hairy leaves and small mauve flowers, that yields an aromatic oil used in medicine: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Also called: mock pennyroyal a similar and related plant, Hedeoma pulegioides, of E North America

Word Origin for pennyroyal

C16: variant of Anglo-Norman puliol real, from Old French pouliol (from Latin pūleium pennyroyal) + real royal

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