Definition of "aloe" []

• Any of various chiefly African plants of the genus Aloe, having rosettes of succulent, often spiny-margined leaves and long stalks bearing yellow, orange, or red tubular flowers. (noun)
• See aloe vera. (noun)
• A laxative drug obtained from the processed juice of a certain species of aloe. Also called bitter aloes. (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.

• "There are many so-called aloe vera preparations on the market that contain very little of this precious herb."
• "Five compounds were identified and assayed, namely aloe-emodin, chrysophanol, emodin, physcion and rhein."
• "My second joyful memory centres round another thing of beauty -- a spiky agave (miscalled aloe) of monstrous dimensions which may be seen in the garden of a certain hill-side hotel."