viburnum

[ vahy-bur-nuh m ]

/ vaɪˈbɜr nəm /

noun

any of numerous shrubs or trees belonging to the genus Viburnum, of the honeysuckle family, certain species of which, as the cranberry bush, V. opulus, or snowball, are cultivated for ornament.

the dried bark of various species of Viburnum, used in medicine.

Nearby words

vibrocardiogram, vibrograph, vibrometer, vibronic, vibropac block, viburnum, vic, vic., vicar, vicar apostolic, vicar capitular

Origin of viburnum

First recorded in 1725–35, viburnum is from the Latin word vīburnum wayfaring tree

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

Examples from the Web for viburnum

The most common shrubby plants were Viburnum nervosum and Spira Lindleyana, both of which occurred in vast quantity.
Western Himalaya and Tibet|Thomas Thomson
Just back of it stood a spreading maple, its trunk veiled in a thicket of viburnum and withe-wood.
The Kindred of the Wild|Charles G. D. Roberts
Viburnum lentago, which grows in the river valleys here naturally, is doing finely.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916|Various
When neither of these can be had the inner bark of the arrow wood (Viburnum) or mansa-hi is substituted for them.
Omaha sociology (1884 N 03 / 1881-1882 (pages 205-370))|James Owen Dorsey

Viburnum plicatum, Japan Snowball, one of the finest shrubs.
A Woman's Hardy Garden|Helena Rutherfurd Ely

British Dictionary definitions for viburnum

viburnum

/ (vaɪˈbɜːnəm) /

noun

any of various temperate and subtropical caprifoliaceous shrubs or trees of the genus Viburnum, such as the wayfaring tree, having small white flowers and berry-like red or black fruits

the dried bark of several species of this tree, sometimes used in medicine

Word Origin for viburnum

C18: from Latin: wayfaring tree

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

Word Origin and History for viburnum

viburnum

genus of shrubs, the arrowwood, 1731, from Latin viburnum, which is said to be probably an Etruscan loan-word.