What does "senna" mean?

Any of several plants of the tribe Cassieae, especially those of the genera Cassia and Senna, whose leaves and pods are used as a purgative and laxative.

What is a synonym for "senna"?

Common synonyms include: ebony, laxative, oak, senna glycoside, tree.

Senna

//ˈsɛnə// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
Any of several plants of the tribe Cassieae, especially those of the genera Cassia and Senna, whose leaves and pods are used as a purgative and laxative. countable
2
any of various plants of the genus Senna having pinnately compound leaves and showy usually yellow flowers; many are used medicinally wordnet
3
The dried leaves or pods of these plants (especially of Senna alexandrina, syn. Cassia angustifolia or Cassia acutifolia), used medicinally. uncountable
4
Senna glycoside, a laxative. countable, uncountable

Proper Noun

1
A surname from Italian.

Synonyms

All synonyms

ebony laxative oak senna glycoside tree

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Arabic سَنَا (sanā, “senna”).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Senna; this surname is predominantly attested in Brazil, however it is not of Portuguese origin.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.