aloe

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
aloe /ˈaləʊ/

▶noun

• 1 a succulent tropical plant with a rosette of thick tapering leaves and bell-shaped or tubular flowers on long stems. [Genus Aloe.]

  ■ (aloes or bitter aloes) a strong laxative obtained from the bitter juice of various kinds of aloe.

  ■ (also American aloe) another term for century plant.

• 2 (also aloes wood) the fragrant heartwood of a tropical Asian tree.

  ■ the resin obtained from aloes wood, used in perfume, incense, and medicine.

– origin OE alewe, alwe, via L. from Gk aloē; reinforced in late ME by OFr. aloes ‘aloe’, hence freq. used in the plural.