euphorbia

American  

[yoo-fawr-bee-uh] / yuˈfɔr bi ə /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Euphorbia, comprising the spurges.

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euphorbia British  

/ juːˈfɔːbɪə /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Euphorbia, such as the spurges and poinsettia: family Euphorbiaceae

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Etymology

Origin of euphorbia

1350–1400; Middle English euforbia for Latin euphorbea, an African plant named after Euphorbos, a Greek physician

Example Sentences

I love ficus Alii and euphorbia white ghost cactus.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2021

In late spring there are parrot tulips everywhere, and the belled stalks of purple digitalis burst through blossoms of yellow euphorbia.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2021

“They’re very mean, and if you tell them they’re nice too much they’ll wither and die. This euphorbia from Africa”—he gestured at a twisting mass—“is full of poison.”

From The New Yorker • Jun. 24, 2019

Big pots hold clipped evergreens, and the driveway is lined with rosemary, cistus and euphorbia.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2016

I looked round me more carefully, and discovered that we were surrounded with euphorbia plants.

From Adventures of a Young Naturalist by Gillmore, Parker