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wintergreen Definition

winter·green (-grēn′)

noun

  1. ☆
    1. any of several gaultherias; esp., a creeping subshrub (Gaultheria procumbens) having small, rounded evergreen leaves, bell-shaped, white flowers, and red, edible berries
    2. an aromatic compound (oil of wintergreen) made from the leaves of this plant or the bark of a birch (Betula lenta), or synthetically from salicylic acid: sometimes used in medicine or as a flavoring
    3. the flavor or anything flavored with it
  2. any of a number of similar plants, as the shinleaf or pipsissewa
  3. a milkwort (Polygala paucifolia) with large, rose-lavender flowers

Etymology: based on Ger wintergrün, Du wintergroen: so named because evergreen

wintergreen Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • round-leaved: Scarce plants found in the area include marsh and dune helleborine, coral root orchid and round-leaved wintergreen.

Modifies a noun

  • pyrola: Intermediate wintergreen Pyrola media is also quite scattered and locally frequent in the more species-rich areas.
  • plant: Methyl salicylate is a natural product derived from the the wintergreen plant, an evergreen shrub.
  • medium: Intermediate wintergreen Pyrola media is also quite scattered and locally frequent in the more species-rich areas.

Noun used with modifier

  • chickweed: The delicate pink - flushed white flowers of Chickweed wintergreen will be in flower through to August.