Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hellebore

/ˈhɛlɪbɔːɹ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.87 in modern English

Syllables
helle-bore
IPA
/ˈhɛlɪbɔːɹ/
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of the common garden flowering plants of the genus Helleborus, in family Ranunculaceae, having supposed medicinal properties.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A toxic extract of certain false hellebores (Veratrum album or Veratrum viride), formerly used as a pesticide.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English ellebore, from Old French ellebre, elebore, from Medieval Latin eleborus, via Latin from Ancient Greek ἑλλέβορος (helléboros), possibly from ἄλκη (álkē, “elk [moose]”) βιβρώσκω (bibrṓskō, “to eat”). The initial h was restored in English to reflect the Ancient Greek etymology.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɛlɪbɔːɹ/
  • British English: /ˈhɛlɪbɔː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

American hellebore American white hellebore bastard hellebore big hellebore black hellebore European white hellebore false hellebore fetid hellebore (Helleborus foetidus

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce hellebore?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛlɪbɔːɹ/.
What does hellebore mean?
Any of the common garden flowering plants of the genus Helleborus, in family Ranunculaceae, having supposed medicinal properties.
Where does hellebore come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce hellebore

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hellebore”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɛlɪbɔːɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hellebore”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hellebore” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.