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poinsettia definition

☆ poin·set·tia (po̵in set′ə, -set′ē ə)

noun

a Mexican and Central American plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima) of the spurge family, with yellow flowers surrounded by tapering red leaves resembling petals

Etymology: ModL, after Joel R. Poinsett (1779-1851), U.S. ambassador to Mexico

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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