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Definition of "myrtle" []

  • Any of several evergreen shrubs or trees of the genus Myrtus, especially M. communis, an aromatic shrub native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia, having pink or white flowers and blue-black berries and widely cultivated as a hedge plant. (noun)
  • See periwinkle2. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "myrtle" in a sentence
  • "Pearls signify both tears and teeth; the latter are sometimes called hailstones, from their whiteness and moisture; the lips are cornelians or rubies; the gums, a pomegranate flower; the dark foliage of the myrtle is synonymous with the black hair of the beloved, or with the first down on the cheeks of puberty."
  • "I have no idea what myrtle is supposed to taste like but I will pay attention to each fluffy little bundle to see if I can identify the oddball one."
  • "We would make our home of one of the Cyclades, and there in myrtle-groves, amidst perpetual spring, fanned by the wholesome sea-breezes -- we would live long years in beatific union -- Was there such a thing as death in the world?"
Words like "myrtle"
common myrtle
crape myrtle
crêpe myrtle
creeping myrtle
Saharan myrtle
true myrtle
turtle wax myrtle