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pyrethrum definition

py·reth·rum (pī ret̸h′rəm, -rē′t̸hrəm)

noun

  1. a perennial plant (Chrysanthemum coccineum) of the composite family, widely grown for the white, pink, red, or purple flower heads
  2. an insecticide made from the dried flower heads of several Old World chrysanthemums, esp. a species (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium) now grown extensively in the U.S.

Etymology: ModL < L < Gr pyrethron, feverfew < pyr, fire

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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