smilax

UK: /ˈsmaɪlæks/ US: (smī′laks)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

smi•lax  (smī′laks), n. 

1. Plant Biology any plant belonging to the genus Smilax, of the lily family, growing in tropical and temperate zones, consisting mostly of vines having woody stems.
2. Plant Biology a delicate, twining plant, Asparagus asparagoides, of the lily family, having glossy, bright-green, egg-shaped leaves, cultivated by florists.

• Greek smîlax bindweed, yew
• Latin smīlax bindweed
• 1595–1605

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

smilax / ˈsmaɪlæks/ noun

1. any typically climbing shrub of the smilacaceous genus Smilax, of warm and tropical regions, having slightly lobed leaves, small greenish or yellow flowers, and berry-like fruits: includes the sarsaparilla plant and greenbrier
2. a fragile, much branched liliaceous vine, Asparagus asparagoides, of southern Africa: cultivated by florists for its glossy bright green foliage

Etymology: 17th Century: via Latin from Greek: bindweed