senna

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: sen=na

CIDE DICTIONARY

senna, n. [Cf. It. & Sp. sena, Pg. sene, F. séné; all fr. Ar. sanā.].

•  The leaves of several leguminous plants of the genus Cassia. (C. acutifolia, C. angustifolia, etc.). They constitute a valuable but nauseous cathartic medicine.  [1913 Webster]
•  The plants themselves, native to the East, but now cultivated largely in the south of Europe and in the West Indies.  [1913 Webster]

Bladder senna. (Bot.) See under Bladder. -- Wild senna (Bot.), the Cassia Marilandica, growing in the United States, the leaves of which are used medicinally, like those of the officinal senna.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

senna, n.
1 a cassia tree.
2 a laxative prepared from the dried pod of this.

Etymology

med.L sena f. Arab. sana