wintergreen

noun

win·​ter·​green ˈwin-tər-ˌgrēn How to pronounce wintergreen (audio)
1
: any of a genus (Pyrola of the family Pyrolaceae, the wintergreen family) of evergreen perennial herbs (such as the shinleafs) that have basal leaves and racemose flowers
2
a
: any of a genus (Gaultheria) of evergreen plants of the heath family
especially : a low creeping evergreen shrub (G. procumbens) of North America with white flowers and spicy red berries compare checkerberry
b(1)
: an essential oil from this plant
(2)
: the flavor of this oil
wintergreen lozenges

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Flavors from the period like clove and sassafras have given way to an ambiguous array of what might best be called fruit-adjacent flavors, and wintergreen. Kim Severson, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023 Blue raspberry replaced wintergreen. Kim Severson, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023 Also, Skoal wintergreen, long cut. Rachel Kushner, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022 The next day, the same mouse was put in a distinctly different box—one with the scent of wintergreen and a grid floor, for example. Kat Mcgowan, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2013 Key Ingredients: eucalyptus, clove, aloe vera, vitamin E, and wintergreen. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 21 Sep. 2022 Its eucalyptus works to reduce inflammation, clove oil treats irritation, aloe vera calms inflammation, peppermint acts as an antiseptic, vitamin E oil moisturizes, and wintergreen stimulates blood circulation. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 21 Sep. 2022 Edible Wild Plants of Autumn will be presented Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. Learn how to identify, sustainably harvest, and prepare the wild foods of autumn, from acorns to wintergreen leaves. Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2022 This natural shampoo coddles your scalp with aloe leaf juice, baobab 0il, and wintergreen, spearmint, and peppermint oils, so you're left with nothing but clean, moisturized, and healthy hair. Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 4 Aug. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wintergreen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wintergreen was in 1525

Dictionary Entries Near wintergreen

Cite this Entry

“Wintergreen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wintergreen. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

wintergreen

noun
win·​ter·​green ˈwint-ər-ˌgrēn How to pronounce wintergreen (audio)
1
a
: a low evergreen plant of the heath family with white bell-shaped flowers and spicy red berries

called also checkerberry

b
: an oil from the wintergreen or its flavor
2
: any of several plants related to the wintergreen

Medical Definition

wintergreen

noun
win·​ter·​green ˈwint-ər-ˌgrēn How to pronounce wintergreen (audio)
1
: any plant of the genus Gaultheria
especially : a low evergreen plant (G. procumbens) with white flowers and spicy red berries
2

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