Henna
adj, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers. countable
- 2 a reddish brown dye used especially on hair wordnet
- 3 A flower of this plant. countable, uncountable
"The aroma given off by flowers has an aphrodisiac effect, especially on women. This is so particularly in the case of lilies of the valley, gardenia, frangipani, and henna."
- 4 A reddish plant substance, prepared from the dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black. countable, uncountable
"Among Arabs, it is believed that henna rubbed on the fingers, skull, and feet produces an aphrodisiac effect."
- 5 A rich reddish-brown colour. countable, uncountable
- 1 To dye or tattoo with henna. transitive
- 2 apply henna to one's hair wordnet
- 1 Of a rich reddish-brown colour. not-comparable
Example
More examples"All the natural dye materials came from the surrounding fields; leaves from olive trees produce a light yellow, madder root dyes wool orange-red, henna produces brown or dark green, and, my favorite, carrot greens make a brilliant, sunshine yellow."
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic حِنَّاء (ḥinnāʔ), the name of the tree used to make the dye, probably from Middle Persian [script needed] (*hannāy-, “to smear, anoint”).
Related phrases
More for "henna"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.