wintergreen

[ win-ter-green ]

/ ˈwɪn tərˌgrin /

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noun

Also called checkerberry. a small, creeping, evergreen shrub, Gaultheria procumbens, of the heath family, common in eastern North America, having white, nodding, bell-shaped flowers, a bright-red, berrylike fruit, and aromatic leaves that yield a volatile oil.

the oil of this shrub; wintergreen oil; methyl salicylate.

the flavor of oil of wintergreen or something flavored with it.

any of various other plants of the same genus.

any of various small evergreen herbs of the genera Pyrola and Chimaphila.

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Origin of wintergreen

1540–50; translation of Dutch wintergroen or German Wintergrün

Words nearby wintergreen

winter crookneck, winterfeed, winter flounder, Winter Games, winter garden, wintergreen, wintergreen barberry, wintergreen oil, winter-hardy, Winter Haven, winter hedge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wintergreen in a sentence

Evidently this imposingly named product is practically a lanolin ointment containing oil of wintergreen and menthol.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
A diminutive pine-tree, in a pot hung round with wintergreen, stood in the centre of the table.
Black Rock|Ralph Connor
Flavor the pink mass with wintergreen and the white one with peppermint.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
The following is a good one: Make a paste of gum tragacanth and add a little oil of wintergreen.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians|William K. David

"So do I," agreed Mabel, her mouth full of big, red wintergreen berries.
The Castaways of Pete's Patch|Carroll Watson Rankin

British Dictionary definitions for wintergreen

wintergreen

/ (ˈwɪntəˌɡriːn) /

noun

Also called: boxberry, checkerberry, teaberry, spiceberry, partridgeberry any of several evergreen ericaceous shrubs of the genus Gaultheria, esp G. procumbens, of E North America, which has white bell-shaped flowers and edible red berries

oil of wintergreen an aromatic compound, formerly made from this and various other plants but now synthesized: used medicinally and for flavouring

any of various plants of the genus Pyrola, such as P. minor (common wintergreen), of temperate and arctic regions, having rounded leaves and small pink globose flowers: family PyrolaceaeUsual US name: shinleaf

any of several plants of the genera Orthilia and Moneses: family Pyrolaceae

chickweed wintergreen a primulaceous plant, Trientalis europaea, of N Europe and N Asia, having white flowers and leaves arranged in a whorl

Word Origin for wintergreen

C16: from Dutch wintergroen or German Wintergrün; see winter, green

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