co·le·us
(kō′lē-əs)n.
Any of various plants in the mint family formerly of the genus Coleus, especially Solenostemon scutellarioides and some species in the genus Plectranthus, native to tropical Africa and Asia and widely grown as ornamentals for their multicolored leaves.
[New Latin Coleus, genus name, from Greek koleos, sheath (from the way the filaments of its stamens are joined in a tube); see kel- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
coleus
(ˈkəʊlɪəs)n, pl -uses
(Plants) any plant of the Old World genus Coleus: cultivated for their variegated leaves, typically marked with red, yellow, or white: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
[C19: from New Latin, from Greek koleos, variant of koleon sheath; from the way in which the stamens are joined]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
co•le•us
(ˈkoʊ li əs)n., pl. -us•es.
any of several Old World tropical plants of the genus Coleus, of the mint family, cultivated for their colorful leaves.
[1865–70; < New Latin < Greek koleós, variant of koleónsheath]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  coleus - any of various Old World tropical plants of the genus Coleus having multicolored decorative leaves and spikes of blue flowersherb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests genus Coleus - genus of Old World tropical plants cultivated for their variegated leaves; various plants sometimes placed in genera Plectranthus or Solenostemon Coleus amboinicus, Coleus aromaticus, country borage, Plectranthus amboinicus - an aromatic fleshy herb of India and Ceylon to South Africa; sometimes placed in genus Plectranthus Coleus blumei, Joseph's coat, painted nettle, Solenostemon blumei, Solenostemon scutellarioides - perennial aromatic herb of southeastern Asia having large usually bright-colored or blotched leaves and spikes of blue-violet flowers; sometimes placed in genus Solenostemon |
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