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n. 1. Any of various chiefly African plants of the genus Aloe, having rosettes of succulent, often spiny-margined leaves and long stalks bearing yellow, orange, or red tubular flowers. 2. See aloe vera. 3. aloes (used with a sing. verb) a. A laxative drug obtained from the processed juice of certain species of aloe. Also called bitter aloes. b. See aloeswood. [Middle English, from Old English aluwe, from Latin aloē, from Greek. Sense 3b, ultimately from Late Greek aloē, aloe, aloeswood, from confusion of Greek aloē, aloe with Greek agalokhon, aloeswood, influenced by Hebrew 'ahālôt, an aromatic, probably aloeswood.] al′o·etic (ăl′ō-ĕtĭk) adj.  (click for a larger image) aloebitter aloe Aloe ferox |
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