English Dictionary: Myrtus communis | by the DICT Development Group |
2 results for Myrtus communis | |
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Myrtle \Myr"tle\ (m[etil]r"t'l), n. [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. my`rtos; cf. Per. m[umac]rd.] (Bot.) A species of the genus {Myrtus}, especially {Myrtus communis}. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head, thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the beautifully mottled wood is used in turning. Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered periwinkle and the yellow-flowered moneywort. In the West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called myrtle. {Bog myrtle}, the sweet gale. {Crape myrtle}. See under {Crape}. {Myrtle warbler} (Zo[94]l.), a North American wood warbler ({Dendroica coronata}); -- called also {myrtle bird}, {yellow-rumped warbler}, and {yellow-crowned warbler}. {Myrtle wax}. (Bot.) See {Bayberry tallow}, under {Bayberry}. {Sand myrtle}, a low, branching evergreen shrub ({Leiophyllum buxifolium}), growing in New Jersey and southward. {Wax myrtle} ({Myrica cerifera}). See {Bayberry}. |