hellebore
pronunciation
How to pronounce hellebore in British English:
UK [ˈhelɪbɔ:(r)]
How to pronounce hellebore in American English:
US [ˈhɛləˌbɔr, -ˌbor]
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- Noun:
- perennial herbs of the lily family having thick toxic rhizomes
- any plant of the Eurasian genus Helleborus
Word Origin
- hellebore (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French ellebore, from Latin elleborus, from Greek helleboros, perhaps meaning "plant eaten by fawns," from Greek ellos/hellos "fawn" + bora "food of beasts," from bibroskein "to eat," from PIE root *gwere- (4) "to swallow" (see voracity). Among the ancients, the name given to various plants of both poisonous and medicinal qualities, reputed to cure madness.
Example
- 1. The hellebore of corsica , one of my favourite plants , is in flowers from the end of january to the end of may .