Library / English Dictionary

MOTHER-IN-LAW'S TONGUE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An evergreen plant with large showy dark green leaves; contains a poison that swells the tongue and throat hence the name

Synonyms:

Dieffenbachia sequine; dumb cane; mother-in-law's tongue; mother-in-law plant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("mother-in-law's tongue" is a kind of...):

aroid; arum (any plant of the family Araceae; have small flowers massed on a spadix surrounded by a large spathe)

Holonyms ("mother-in-law's tongue" is a member of...):

Dieffenbachia; genus Dieffenbachia (evergreen perennial herbs of tropical America with lush foliage and poisonous sap; often cultivated as houseplants)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Stemless plant having narrow rigid leaves often cultivated as a houseplant

Synonyms:

mother-in-law's tongue; Sansevieria trifasciata; snake plant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("mother-in-law's tongue" is a kind of...):

bowstring hemp; sansevieria (grown as a houseplant for its mottled fleshy sword-shaped leaves or as a source of fiber)

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