hellebore

[ hel-uh-bawr, -bohr ]
/ ˈhɛl əˌbɔr, -ˌboʊr /

noun

any of several plants of the genus Helleborus, of the buttercup family, having basal leaves and clusters of flowers, especially H. niger, the Christmas rose.
any of various plants of the genus Veratrum. Compare false hellebore.
any of several poisonous or medicinal substances obtained from these plants.

Origin of hellebore

1555–65; < Greek helléboros; replacing earlier ellebor(e), Middle English el(l)bre, etc. < Latin elleborus < Greek

Words nearby hellebore

hellbox, hellbroth, hellcat, helldiver, helle, hellebore, helleborein, helleborin, helleborine, hellen, hellene

Example sentences from the Web for hellebore

British Dictionary definitions for hellebore

hellebore
/ (ˈhɛlɪˌbɔː) /

noun

any plant of the Eurasian ranunculaceous genus Helleborus, esp H. niger (black hellebore), typically having showy flowers and poisonous parts See also Christmas rose
any of various liliaceous plants of the N temperate genus Veratrum, esp V. album, that have greenish flowers and yield alkaloids used in the treatment of heart disease

Word Origin for hellebore

C14: from Greek helleboros, of uncertain origin