MISTLETOE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does mistletoe mean? 

• MISTLETOE (noun)
  The noun MISTLETOE has 3 senses:

1. American plants closely resembling Old World mistletoe

2. Old World parasitic shrub having branching greenish stems with leathery leaves and waxy white glutinous berries; the traditional mistletoe of Christmas

3. shrub of central and southeastern Europe; partially parasitic on beeches, chestnuts and oaks

  Familiarity information: MISTLETOE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MISTLETOE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

American plants closely resembling Old World mistletoe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

false mistletoe; mistletoe

Hypernyms ("mistletoe" is a kind of...):

parasitic plant (plant living on another plant and obtaining organic nutriment from it)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "mistletoe"):

American mistletoe; Phoradendron flavescens; Phoradendron serotinum (the traditional mistletoe of Christmas in America: grows on deciduous trees and can severely weaken the host plant)

Holonyms ("mistletoe" is a member of...):

genus Phoradendron; Phoradendron (any of various American parasitic plants similar to Old World mistletoe: false mistletoe)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Old World parasitic shrub having branching greenish stems with leathery leaves and waxy white glutinous berries; the traditional mistletoe of Christmas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

mistletoe; Old World mistletoe; Viscum album

Hypernyms ("mistletoe" is a kind of...):

parasitic plant (plant living on another plant and obtaining organic nutriment from it)

Holonyms ("mistletoe" is a member of...):

genus Viscum; Viscum (type genus of the Viscaceae: Old World evergreen shrubs parasitic on many trees including oaks but especially apple trees, poplars, aspens and cottonwoods)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Shrub of central and southeastern Europe; partially parasitic on beeches, chestnuts and oaks

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

Loranthus europaeus; mistletoe

Hypernyms ("mistletoe" is a kind of...):

parasitic plant (plant living on another plant and obtaining organic nutriment from it)

Holonyms ("mistletoe" is a member of...):

genus Loranthus; Loranthus (type genus of the Loranthaceae: 1 species)

 Context examples 

Mistletoe extract may both stimulate the antitumoral functions of the immune system and have a direct toxic effect on tumor cells.

(Mistletoe Extract, NCI Thesaurus)

Mistletoe extracts are being studied as treatments for cancer.

(Mistletoe, NCI Dictionary)

A substance that comes from the mistletoe plant and that is being studied as a treatment for cancer.

(Mistletoe Extract, NCI Dictionary)

An extract of the whole plant Viscum album (mistletoe) with potential biological response modifier (BRM) activity.

(Mistletoe Extract, NCI Thesaurus)