Definition of mother-in-law's tongue in US English:
mother-in-law's tongue
nounˈməT͟Hər ən ˌlôz ˌtəNG
A West African plant of the agave family, having long slender leaves with yellow marginal stripes, often grown as a houseplant.
Sansevieria trifasciata, family Agavaceae
Example sentencesExamples
- If the bathroom is cold for most of the day, choose sansevierias (mother-in-law's tongue) - which will also survive in a poorly lit bathroom - or Nepenthes alata, a carnivorous plant with unusual hanging red traps.
- All over the Caribbean, it is known as ‘mother-in-law's tongue’.
- For instance they won't eat anything in the aloe family or leathery leafed plants such as mother-in-law's tongue.