hellebore
hellebore
Definition
hel·le·bore (hel′ə bôr′)
noun
- any of a genus (Helleborus) of poisonous, winter-blooming plants of the buttercup family, with buttercuplike flowers of various colors: the rhizomes of a black European species (H. niger) were formerly used as a heart stimulant and cathartic
- any of a genus (Veratrum) of poisonous plants of the lily family: the white hellebore (V. album) and the false hellebore (V. viride) were formerly used as cathartics, etc.
Etymology: altered (after Gr) < ME ellebore < OFr < L helleborus < Gr helleboros, orig. prob. “plant eaten by fawns” < hellos, var. of ellos, fawn < base of elaphos, deer + bora, food (of beasts): for IE base see elk & voracious
hellebore
Usage Examples
Converse of object
- include: In total we added a further 13 species to the list, including stinking hellebore ( planted?
- grow: If you want to grow hellebores from seed, they should be sown in July.
- have: Petch and Swann had the hellebore at the Bath Hills, Ditchingham, South Norfolk!
Adjective modifier
- black: Theophrastus ( 300 B.C. ) stated that " The white and black Hellebore appear to have nothing in common except the name.
- green: Its even rarer cousin, the green hellebore, is an equally attractive plant, flowering in late winter and early spring.
- white: There are also many other varieties of the plant, including green and white hellebore.
- stinking: In total we added a further 13 species to the list, including stinking hellebore ( planted?
- flowering: We then both noticed a flowering Hellebore that was growing from thick leaf mold in the ditch.
- other: Other hellebores have also been used to create garden hybrids including Helleborus argutifolius and H. lividus.
Modifies a noun
- helleborus: One February morning some years ago my brother and I set out from Cromer to look for stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus.
- leaf: Pest & disease watch Hellebore leaf spot can be a problem on old foliage of hellebores.
- spot: Pest & disease watch Hellebore leaf spot can be a problem on old foliage of hellebores.
- foetidus: One February morning some years ago my brother and I set out from Cromer to look for stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus.
- viridis: Also coming into flower is the green hellebore Helleborus viridis.
- hybridus: Plants of Hellebore hybridus and many of the smaller species will stay undisturbed for many years so thorough preparation is essential.
Noun used with modifier
- name: The common name hellebore has given rise to confusion since Ancient times.
Browse dictionary entries near hellebore
- helldiver
- hellcat
- hellbroth
- hellbox
- hellbent
- hellbender
- Hellas
- Helladic
- hellacious
- hell week
- Hellen
- Hellene
- Hellenic
- Hellenism
- Hellenist
- Hellenistic
- Hellenize
- Hellenologophobia
- heller
- helleri
