dwarf elder

Noun
Synonyms: dwarf elderdanewortSambucus ebulusbristly sarsaparillabristly sarsparillaAralia hispida

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

  1. dwarf herbaceous elder of Europe having pink flowers and a nauseous odorSynonyms: dwarf elderdanewortSambucus ebulus
  2. bristly herb of eastern and central North America having black fruit and medicinal barkSynonyms: bristly sarsaparillabristly sarsparilladwarf elderAralia hispida
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Dwarf \Dwarf\, n.; pl. Dwarfs. [OE. dwergh, dwerf, dwarf, AS. dweorg, dweorh; akin to D. dwerg, MHG. twerc, G. zwerg, Icel. dvergr, Sw. & Dan. dverg; of unknown origin.]

1.An animal or plant which is much below the ordinary size of its species or kind. [1913 Webster]

2.Especially: A diminutive human being, small in stature due to a pathological condition which causes a distortion of the proportions of body parts to each other, such as the limbs, torso, and head. A person of unusually small height who has normal body proportions is usually called a midget. [PJC]

Note: During the Middle Ages dwarfs as well as fools shared the favor of courts and the nobility. [1913 Webster]

3.(Folklore) A small, usually misshapen person, typically a man, who may have magical powers; mythical dwarves were often depicted as living underground in caves. [PJC]

Note: Dwarf is used adjectively in reference to anything much below the usual or normal size; as, a dwarf pear tree; dwarf honeysuckle. [1913 Webster]

Dwarf elder (Bot.), danewort.

Dwarf wall (Arch.), a low wall, not as high as the story of a building, often used as a garden wall or fence. --Gwilt. [1913 Webster]

Elder \El"der\, n. [OE. ellern, eller, AS. ellen, cf. LG. elloorn; perh. akin to OHG. holantar, holuntar, G. holunder; or perh. to E. alder, n.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs (Sambucus) having broad umbels of white flowers, and small black or red berries. [1913 Webster]

Note: The common North American species is Sambucus Canadensis; the common European species (S. nigra) forms a small tree. The red-berried elder is S. pubens. The berries are diaphoretic and aperient. The European elder (Sambucus nigra) is also called the elderberry, bourtree, Old World elder, black elder, and common elder. [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]

Box elder. See under 1st Box.

Dwarf elder. See Danewort.

Elder tree. (Bot.) Same as Elder. --Shak.

Marsh elder, the cranberry tree Viburnum Opulus). [1913 Webster]

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