[ 'vɪərə ]
■ noun
1》 a gelatinous substance obtained from a kind of aloe, used in cosmetics as an emollient.
2》 the plant that yields ~, grown chiefly in the Caribbean and the southern US. [ Aloe vera .]
Origin
early 20th cent.: mod. L., lit. 'true aloe', prob. in contrast to the American agave, which closely resembles ~.