myrtle

[ mur-tl ]

noun
  1. any plant of the genus Myrtus, especially M. communis, a shrub of southern Europe having evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers, and aromatic berries: anciently held sacred to Venus and used as an emblem of love.: Compare myrtle family.

  2. any of certain unrelated plants, as the periwinkle, Vinca minor, and California laurel, Umbellularia californica.

  1. Also called myr·tle·wood [mur-tl-wood]. /ˈmɜr tlˌwʊd/. the hard, golden-brown wood of the California laurel.

  2. Also called myrtle green . dark green with bluish tinge.

Origin of myrtle

1
1350–1400; Middle English mirtile<Medieval Latin myrtillus, equivalent to Latin myrt(us) (<Greek mýrtos) + New Latin -illus diminutive suffix

Other definitions for Myrtle (2 of 2)

Myrtle
[ mur-tl ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for myrtle

myrtle

/ (ˈmɜːtəl) /


noun
  1. any evergreen shrub or tree of the myrtaceous genus Myrtus, esp M. communis, a S European shrub with pink or white flowers and aromatic blue-black berries

  2. short for crape myrtle

  1. bog myrtle: another name for sweet gale

  2. creeping myrtle or trailing myrtle US and Canadian another name for periwinkle 2 (def. 1)

Origin of myrtle

1
C16: from Medieval Latin myrtilla, from Latin myrtus, from Greek murtos

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012