MYRTLE

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English mirtille, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin myrtillus, from Latin myrtus, from Greek myrtos Date: 1562 1. a common evergreen bushy shrub ( Myrtus communis of the family Myrtaceae, the ~ family) of southern Europe with oval to lance-shaped shiny leaves, fragrant white or rosy flowers, and black berries, any of the chiefly tropical shrubs or trees comprising the ~ family, 2. periwinkle I,1a, California laurel