aloe

English

Alternative forms

• aloë

Etymology

From Old English alwe (“fragrant resin of an East Indian tree”), from Latin aloē, from Ancient Greek ἀλόη (alóē), from Hebrew אָהָל (ʾāhāl), ultimately from Tamil அகில் (akil); reinforced in Middle English by Old French aloes.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈæ.loʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈləʊ.i/, /ˈæ.ləʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æləʊ

Noun

aloe (plural aloes)

1. (in the plural) The resins of the tree Aquilaria malaccensis (syn. Aquilaria agallocha), known for their fragrant aroma, produced after infection by the fungus Phialophora parasitica.
2. Any plant of the large and variable genus Aloe.
   • 1885 Ferdinand von Mueller: Select Extra-tropical Plants, Readily Eligible For Industrial Culture Or Naturalization. pub: Melbourne: J. Ferres

     Aloe ferox, Miller. South-Africa. This species yields the best Cape-aloes, as observed by Dr. Pappe. The simply inspissated juice of the leaves of the various species of the genus constitutes the aloe-drug. It is best obtained by using neither heat nor pressure for extracting the sap. By re-dissolving the aqueous part of Aloes in cold water, and reducing the liquid through boiling or other processes of exsiccation to dryness, the extract of aloes is prepared. The bitter sap, used for dressing wounds, keeps off flies very effectually. It deserves introduction particularly in veterinary practice.

3. Misnomer for any large, vaguely aloe-like plant, such as Agave
   • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World , London, New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     In mercy I put a bullet through his skull, and he fell sprawling among the aloes.

4. A strong, bitter drink made from the juice of such plants, used as a purgative.

Usage notes

• Often used in plural (originally under influence of Old French aloes).

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Irish: aló
• → Samoan: aloe

Translations

See also

• agave
• maguey

References

Further reading

• aloe on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Aloe on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Aloe on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• aole

Italian

Etymology 1

From Latin aloē.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.lo.e/
• Rhymes: -aloe
• Hyphenation: à‧lo‧e

Noun

aloe m or (sometimes) f (invariable)

1. aloe (plant)

Further reading

• aloe in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ancient Greek (τὰ) Ἁλῶα ((tà) Halôa), derived from ἅλως (hálōs, “threshing floor”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈlɔ.e/
• Rhymes: -ɔe
• Hyphenation: a‧lò‧e

Noun

aloe f pl (plural only)

1. (historical, Ancient Greece) a festival dedicated to Demeter, celebrated in the time of the harvesting of grapes

Further reading

• alòe in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• Aleo

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἀλόη (alóē, “aloes”). Ultimately from Tamil அகில் (akil);

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.lo.eː/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈa.lo.e/,

Noun

aloē f (genitive aloēs); first declension

1. The aloe.
2. The bitter juice produced by the aloe used as a perfume, in medicine and in embalming.
3. (figuratively) Bitterness (in general).

Declension

First-declension noun (Greek-type).

Descendants

References

• “aloe”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “aloe”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• aloe in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French aloe.

Noun

aloe f (plural aloes)

1. lark (bird)

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (aloe)

Old French

Etymology

From Latin alauda (“lark”).

Noun

aloe oblique singular, f (oblique plural aloes, nominative singular aloe, nominative plural aloes)

1. lark (bird)

Descendants

• Middle French: aloe

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (aloe)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French aloès and Latin aloē, from Ancient Greek ἀλόη (alóē).

Noun

aloe f (plural aloe)

1. aloe
2. a substance extracted from the aloe plant

Declension

Samoan

Etymology

From English aloe.

Noun

aloe

1. aloe

Spanish

Noun

aloe m (plural aloes)

1. Alternative form of áloe

Further reading

• “aloe”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Yoruba

Etymology

English aloe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /á.ló.è/

Noun

álóè

1. aloe

   Synonym: ewé etí erin