ephedra

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɪˈfɛdrə/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(i fed′rə, ef′i drə)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
e•phed•ra  (i fed′rə, ef′i drə),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Plant Biologyany of various plants of the genus Ephedra, growing in dry regions and having branching stems with dry scalelike leaves.
  • Greek ephédra the horsetail plant, literally, sitting (upon a place), equivalent. to ep- ep- + hédra seat, sitting (see cathedra)
  • Neo-Latin (Linnaeus)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ephedra /ɪˈfɛdrə/ n
  1. any gymnosperm shrub of the genus Ephedra, of warm regions of America and Eurasia: the source of ephedrine: family Ephedraceae, phylum Gnetophyta
Etymology: 18th Century: New Latin, from Latin, from Greek ephedros a sitting upon, from epi- + hedra seat
'ephedra' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ephedrine - mahuang

Forum discussions with the word(s) "ephedra" in the title:


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