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myrtle (n.)

evergreen bush with fragrant white flowers, c. 1400, from Old French mirtile, from Medieval Latin myrtillus, diminutive of Latin myrtus "myrtle tree," from Greek myrtos "the myrtle, a sprig of myrtle," from same Semitic source as Greek myrrha (see myrrh). In ancient times it was sacred to Venus. The modern word is also applied to similar plants, some unrelated. Earlier Middle English forms were myrt, from Latin, and myrtine, from Medieval Latin myrtinus.

Entries related to myrtle

myrrh (n.)

"gummy, resinous exudation of certain plants of Arabia and Ethiopia," used for incense, perfumery, etc., Middle English mirre, from Old French mirre (11c.) and also from Old English myrre, both the Old English and Old French words from Latin myrrha (source also of Dutch mirre, German Myrrhe, French myrrhe, Italian, Spanish mirra), from Greek myrrha, from a Semitic source (compare Akkadian murru, Hebrew mor, Arabic murr "myrrh"), from a root meaning "was bitter." The classical spelling restoration is from 16c.

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Definitions of myrtle from WordNet

myrtle (n.)
widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers;
Synonyms: Vinca minor
myrtle (n.)
any evergreen shrub or tree of the genus Myrtus;
From wordnet.princeton.edu

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