noun
annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs of warm regions
• Syn: ↑genus Tribulus
• Hypernyms: ↑rosid dicot genus
• Member Holonyms: ↑Zygophyllaceae, ↑family Zygophyllaceae, ↑bean-caper family
• Member Meronyms: ↑caltrop, ↑devil's weed, ↑Tribulus terestris
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\\ˈtribyələs\ nounUsage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, caltrop, from Greek tribolos, any of various prickly plants, threshing board studded with spikes; akin to Latin tribulum threshing board
: a genus of chiefly tropical or subtropical herbs (family Zygophyllaceae) introduced into No. America with pinnate leaves and yellow or white flowers succeeded by a spiny or prickly fruit of five indehiscent tuberculate carpels — see burnut, caltrop 1b
Useful english dictionary. 2012.