First Known Use: 1789
Dictionary
ailanthus
noun ai·lan·thus \ā-ˈlan(t)-thəs\
Definition of AILANTHUS
: any of a small Asian genus (Ailanthus of the family Simaroubaceae, the ailanthus family) of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs with bitter bark, pinnate leaves, and terminal panicles of ill-scented greenish flowers; especially : tree of heaven
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Origin of AILANTHUS
New Latin, from Kamarian (Austronesian language of the Piru Bay region, Seram) ai lanito, literally, the sky tree, or from a cognate phrase in a related central Moluccan language
Medical Dictionary
ailanthus
noun ai·lan·thus \ā-ˈlan(t)-thəs, ī-\
Medical Definition of AILANTHUS
1
capitalized : a small genus of chiefly tropical Asian trees and shrubs (family Simaroubaceae) with bitter bark, pinnate leaves, and terminal panicles of ill-scented greenish flowers; especially : tree of heaven
2
: a tree of the genus Ailanthus
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