aloe

UK: /ˈæləʊ/ US: /ˈæloʊ/ ,(al′ō)

Inflections of 'aloe' (n): npl: aloes

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

al•oe /ˈæloʊ/   n. [countable] , pl. -oes. 

1. Plant Biology a chiefly African shrub of the lily family.
2. Plant Biology a type of aloe that yields a juice used in skin lotion.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

al•oe  (al′ō), n., pl. -oes. 

1. Plant Biology any chiefly African shrub belonging to the genus Aloe, of the lily family, certain species of which yield a fiber.
2. Plant Biology See aloe vera. 
3. Plant Biology See century plant. 
4. aloes, (used with a sing. v.) agalloch.

• South Asia via Hebrew
• Greek alóē, perh.
• Latin aloē
• Old English al(u)we, alewe (compare Old Saxon, Old High German āloê) bef. 950; Middle English alōe, alow, alewen

al•o•et•ic  (al′ō et′ik), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

aloe / ˈæləʊ/ noun ( -oes)

1. any plant of the liliaceous genus Aloe, chiefly native to southern Africa, with fleshy spiny-toothed leaves and red or yellow flowers
2. American aloe ⇒
   another name for century plant

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin aloē, from Greek