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ste·vi·a

(stēvē-ə, stĕvē-ə)

1. Any of various American plants of the genus Stevia of the composite family, especially the perennial S. rebaudiana, native to Paraguay, whose leaves contain sweet-tasting glycosides.

2. Any of various extracts derived from the leaves of S. rebaudiana, used as noncaloric sweeteners and flavoring agents.

[New Latin Stevia, genus name, after Petrus Jacobus Stevus, originally Pedro Jaime Esteve (c. 1500-1556), Spanish botanist and the first European to investigate the plants.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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