Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pennyroyal

/pɛ̝nɪˈɹɔɪ̯əl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.79 in modern English

Syllables: pen-ny-roy-al
IPA: /pɛ̝nɪˈɹɔɪ̯əl/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Mentha pulegium, a plant of the mint family, formerly much used in various medicinal treatments and as a flea repellent.

noun

A traditional old well-known song, especially a spiritual folksong.

Obsolete

name

A locality in the Shire of Colac Otway and the Surf Coast Shire, south western Victoria, Australia

Example Sentences

"Dioscorides says that Pennyroyal makes thin, tough phlegm, warms the coldness of any part whereto it is applied, and digests raw or corrupt matter."
"I'm on warm milk and laxatives / Cherry-flavored antacids / Sit and drink Pennyroyal tea / Distill the life that's inside of me / Sit and drink Pennyroyal tea / I'm anemic royalty"
"Offenbach and the old college airs, song and dance tunes and pennyroyals, formed the staples for the introduction of hits on manners and times."
"The singing in the schoolhouse was more like that of one of the old-fashioned, large Yankee families gathered round the hearthstone and singing "pennyroyals" Sunday nights."
"The sort of tune […] variously denominated "gospel song", "spiritual song", "pennyroyal","
"However, three or four of the old "pennyroyals" seem to have stood the test of time."

Etymology

Apparently an alteration (after penny) of Anglo-Norman puliol royal, from Latin pūlegium.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: puliol royal, pūlegium

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /pɛ̝nɪˈɹɔɪ̯əl/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

pennyroyals (plural) penny royal (alternative)

Phrases

bastard pennyroyal hart's pennyroyal American pennyroyal American false pennyroyal

Frequently Paired Words

American pennyroyal American false pennyroyal savin tansy

Synonyms

European pennyroyal pennyrile pudding grass mosquito plant squaw mint american pennyroyal hedeoma pulegioides mentha pulegium

Questions

How do you pronounce pennyroyal?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɛ̝nɪˈɹɔɪ̯əl/.
What does pennyroyal mean?: Mentha pulegium, a plant of the mint family, formerly much used in various medicinal treatments and as a flea repellent.
Where does pennyroyal come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce pennyroyal

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pennyroyal”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɛ̝nɪˈɹɔɪ̯əl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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