aloe
aloe Lexical Profile
• noun
Any succulent flowering plant of the genus Aloe (family Asphodelaceae), native to Africa and Madagascar, characterized by rosettes of thick, fleshy, serrated leaves and tall flower spikes bearing dense clusters of tubular yellow, orange, or red blossoms.
"She kept a potted aloe on the kitchen windowsill to treat minor cooking burns."
The soothing, mucilaginous gel or bitter dried juice extracted from the leaves of the aloe plant, widely used in cosmetics, skin lotions, and traditional medicine.
"After a long day at the beach, he applied cooling aloe to his sunburned shoulders."
• Rhymes for aloe
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed via Old English and Latin from Ancient Greek 'aloē', which is likely of Semitic origin (compare Hebrew 'ahalim'), originally referring to aromatic eaglewood before being applied to the bitter succulent plant.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.