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pennyroyal

[ pen-ee-roi-uhl ]
/ ˌpɛn iˈrɔɪ əl /

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.

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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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pennyroyal

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