juniper

4 definitions found

juniper - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Juniper \Ju"ni*per\, n. [L. juniperus, prop., youth-producing,
     and so called from its evergreen appearance, from the roots
     of E. juvenile, and parent. Cf. Gin the liquor.] (Bot.)
     Any evergreen shrub or tree, of the genus Juniperus and
     order Conifer[ae].
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The common juniper (Juniperus communis) is a shrub of
           a low, spreading form, having awl-shaped, rigid leaves
           in whorls of threes, and bearing small purplish blue
           berries (or galbuli), of a warm, pungent taste, used as
           diuretic and in flavoring gin. A resin exudes from the
           bark, which has erroneously been considered identical
           with sandarach, and is used as pounce. The oil of
           juniper is acrid, and used for various purposes, as in
           medicine, for making varnish, etc. The wood of several
           species is of a reddish color, hard and durable, and is
           used in cabinetwork under the names of red cedar,
           Bermuda cedar, etc.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     Juniper worm (Zool.), the larva of a geometrid moth
        (Drepanodes varus). It feeds upon the leaves of the
        juniper, and mimics the small twigs both in form and
        color, in a remarkable manner.
        [1913 Webster]

juniper - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  juniper
      n 1: desert shrub of Syria and Arabia having small white
           flowers; constitutes the juniper of the Old Testament;
           sometimes placed in genus Genista [syn: retem, raetam,
           juniper bush, juniper, Retama raetam, Genista raetam
           ]
      2: coniferous shrub or small tree with berrylike cones

juniper - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :

  Juniper
  (Heb. rothem), called by the Arabs retem, and known as Spanish
  broom; ranked under the genus genista. It is a desert shrub, and
  abounds in many parts of Palestine. In the account of his
  journey from Akabah to Jerusalem, Dr. Robinson says: "This is
  the largest and most conspicuous shrub of these deserts, growing
  thickly in the water-courses and valleys. Our Arabs always
  selected the place of encampment, if possible, in a spot where
  it grew, in order to be sheltered by it at night from the wind;
  and during the day, when they often went on in advance of the
  camels, we found them not unfrequently sitting or sleeping under
  a bush of retem to shelter them from the sun. It was in this
  very desert, a day's journey from Beersheba, that the prophet
  Elijah lay down and slept beneath the same shrub" (1 Kings 19:4,
  5). It afforded material for fuel, and also in cases of
  extremity for human food (Ps. 120:4; Job 30:4). One of the
  encampments in the wilderness of Paran is called Rithmah, i.e.,
  "place of broom" (Num. 33:18).
  
    "The Bedawin of Sinai still burn this very plant into a
  charcoal which throws out the most intense heat."

juniper - U.S. Gazetteer (1990) :

  Juniper, GA
    Zip code(s): 31801