oleander Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an ornamental but poisonous flowering shrub having narrow evergreen leaves and clusters of fragrant white to pink or red flowers: native to East Indies but widely cultivated in warm regions
    rose bay; Nerium oleander.

WordNet

O`le*an"der noun
Etymology
F. oléandre (cf. It. oleandro, LL. lorandrum), prob. corrupted, under the influence of laurus laurel, fr. L. rhododendron, Gr. rose + tree.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A beautiful evergreen shrub of the Dogbane family, having clusters of fragrant red or white flowers. It is native of the East Indies, but the red variety has become common in the south of Europe. Called also rosebay, rose laurel, and South-sea rose. ✍ Every part of the plant is dangerously poisonous, and death has occured from using its wood for skewers in cooking meat.

Webster 1913