poison ivy
nounDefinition of poison ivy
1a
: a climbing plant (Toxicodendron radicans synonym Rhus radicans) of the cashew family that is especially common in the eastern and central U.S., that has ternate leaves, greenish flowers, and white berries, and that produces an irritating oil causing a usually intensely itching skin rash
b
: any of several plants closely related to poison ivy
2
: a skin rash caused by poison ivy
Illustration of poison ivy
poison ivy 1a
Examples of poison ivy in a Sentence
I got poison ivy all over my arm.
Recent Examples on the Web
Unfortunately for many of us, our plant knowledge begins with poison ivy and ends with marijuana leaves. — Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "Forest to table: An invitation to a DIY dining adventure in Sweden," 12 Aug. 2019 Beneath the leafy canopy, healthy tangles of canyon grape vines mingle with insidious clumps of poison ivy. — Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Forest hike near Payson leads to a shady tangle of springs," 26 July 2019 Unlike poison ivy, poison hemlock does not cause skin blistering on contact. — Chris Mayhew, Cincinnati.com, "Poison hemlock and wild parsnip: Rain causes dangerous weeds to flourish," 19 July 2018 Look under the hedges and find where the poison ivy vines are growing out of the ground. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "Get rid of poison ivy by cutting the vine close to the ground," 6 Apr. 2019 Be mindful not to work around poison ivy, and don’t touch the trunks of your trees and good shrubs with the line from your trimmer. — Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, "When mondo grass attacks, put up a wall," 5 July 2019 And everywhere, like a green giant malignant, the walls of poison ivy. — Christopher Ketcham, Harper's magazine, "Ramblin’ Man," 24 June 2019 Both poison ivy and oak sprout leaves with three leaflets, and sometimes include berries. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of a Poison Ivy Rash and Stop Itching Like Crazy," 13 July 2018 Brush up against poison ivy leaves, and almost 90% of adults will develop an angry, red rash. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Rid of a Poison Ivy Rash and Stop Itching Like Crazy," 13 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poison ivy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for poison ivy
poison ivy
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of poison ivy
: a common plant in the central and eastern U.S. that has leaves which cause a very itchy and painful rash on your skin if you touch them
: the rash that is caused by poison ivy
See the full definition for poison ivy in the English Language Learners Dictionary
poison ivy
nounKids Definition of poison ivy
1
: a usually climbing plant that has leaves with three leaflets and can cause an itchy painful rash when touched
2
: a skin rash caused by poison ivy
poison ivy
noun
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Medical Definition of poison ivy
1a
: a climbing plant of the genus Rhus (R. radicans synonym Toxicodendron radicans) that is especially common in the eastern and central United States, that has leaves in groups of three, greenish flowers, and white berries, and that produces an acutely irritating oil causing a usually intensely itching skin rash
2
: a skin rash produced by poison ivy
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