rose of Sharon
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Tweet n. 1. A small tree or shrub (Hibiscus syriacus) in the mallow family, native to Asia, having large reddish, purple, or white flowers and widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. Also called althea. 2. See Aaron's beard. [From the King James Version translation of Hebrew ḥăbaṣṣelet ha-ššārôn (a phrase describing a beautiful flower to which a woman likens herself in Song of Songs 2:1) : ḥăbaṣṣelet, a kind of beautiful flower of Canaan (possibly the sea daffodil Pancratium maritimum or a kind of crocus, narcissus, tulip, or other bulbous flower) + ha-, the + šārôn, the Plain of Sharon.] |
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