oleander

[ oh-lee-an-der, oh-lee-an- ]

noun

1. a poisonous shrub, Nerium oleander, of the dogbane family, native to southern Eurasia, having evergreen leaves and showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers, and widely cultivated as an ornamental.

oleander

/ ˌəʊlɪˈændə /

noun

1. a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean apocynaceous shrub or tree, Nerium oleander, with fragrant white, pink, or purple flowers Also calledrosebay

Word History and Origins

Origin of oleander¹

1540–50; < Medieval Latin oleander, oliandrum, obscurely akin to Late Latin laurandrum, perhaps a conflation of Latin laurus laurel and rhododendron rhododendron

Word History and Origins

Origin of oleander¹

C16: from Medieval Latin, variant of arodandrum, perhaps from Latin rhododendron

Example Sentences

The perennially under-construction compound, with its “oleander … and old milk cartons … R. Crumb comics, empty tea and coffee mugs, and ashtrays,” was often inhabited, Moon writes, by naked strangers “cavorting or making candles.”

From Los Angeles Times

Once the tree has been infected by oleander leaf scorch, leaves begin to yellow and drop.

From Seattle Times

Oleandrin is a poisonous substance found in the leaves of the oleander plant.

From Seattle Times

Among the potentially murderous or mind-altering flora are datura, oleander, narcissus and pennyroyal.

From Washington Post

The Victorians were preoccupied with poetic connections between sleep and death, and it’s telling that Leighton has included, at top right, the branch of an oleander bush, known for its deadly toxicity.

From Washington Post