wintergreen

Plural: wintergreens

Noun

• any of several evergreen perennials of the genus Pyrola
• creeping shrub of eastern North America having white bell-shaped flowers followed by spicy red berrylike fruit and shiny aromatic leaves that yield wintergreen oil
• spicy red berrylike fruit; source of wintergreen oil
• Any evergreen plant.
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in shrub genus Gaultheria, commonly known as wintergreen, especially:
• Gaultheria procumbens, native to North America, having solitary white flowers and aromatic leaves (checkerberry or teaberry)
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in shrub genus Gaultheria, commonly known as wintergreen, especially:
• Gaultheria humifusa – alpine wintergreen
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in shrub genus Gaultheria, commonly known as wintergreen, especially:
• Gaultheria ovatifolia – western teaberry or Oregon spicy wintergreen
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in shrub genus Gaultheria, commonly known as wintergreen, especially:
• Chimaphila maculata – striped wintergreen, pipsissewa
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in any of several other genera in the herbaceous family Ericaceae, including:
• Genus Pyrola, native to northern temperate and Arctic regions.
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in any of several other genera in the herbaceous family Ericaceae, including:
• Genus Orthilia
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in any of several other genera in the herbaceous family Ericaceae, including:
• Genus Moneses
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Plants in any of several other genera in the herbaceous family Ericaceae, including:
• Genus Chimaphila (prince's pine, pipsissewa)
• One of various not closely related evergreen plants, including:
• Some species of the herbaceous genus Trientalis, in family Primulaceae (chickweed wintergreen)
• The spicy red berries of Gaultheria procumbens.
• The oil, methyl salicylate, obtained from these berries.
• The aroma of the oil, methyl salicylate, however derived.

Synonyms

boxberry, checkerberry, creeping wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, ground-berry, groundberry, mountain tea, partridgeberry, pyrola, shinleaf, spiceberry, teaberry

Related Words

pinedrops, pinesap, shinleaf, surgical spirit