citronella
/sɪtrəˈnɛlə
/noun
1 (also citronella oil) [mass noun] A fragrant natural oil used as an insect repellent and in perfume and soap manufacture: [as modifier]: citronella candles...
- New machines designed to release sprays based on citronella oil or geraniol, another plant-derived repellent with a sweet, rosy odor, also are available.
- Repellent candles or lamps, that burn citronella oil, are readily available from hardware stores and some supermarkets.
- Most use citronella oil as a primary bug deterrent, but some contain long lists of ‘essential’ ingredients.
2The South Asian grass from which citronella oil is obtained.
- Cymbopogon nardus, family Gramineae.
- Some herbs that repel fleas include: juniper, pennyroyal, citronella, eucalyptus, cedar and Canadian fleabane.
- The research station has succeeded in making 400 lemon grass germ plasm collections, 21 pamarosa collections, 8 vetiver collections and 18 citronella collections.
Origin
Mid 19th century: modern Latin, from citron + the diminutive suffix -ella.
Rhymes
- non-figuration
- non-figurative
- non-final
- non-finality
- non-finding
- non-finite
- non-flam
- non-flammability
- non-flammable
- non-flowering
- non-fluent
- non-flying
- non-formal
- non-fossil
- non-frat
- non-fraternization
- nonfriend
- non-fulfilment
- non-functional
- non-functioning
- non-fundamental
- nong
- non-game
- non-gay
- nongenary