noun
Usage: usually capitalized R
: a large shrub or small tree ( Elaeagnus angustifolia ) that has silvery twigs, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate leaves which are light green above and silvery below, fragrant axillary flowers which are yellow within and silvery without, and small yellow fruits covered with silvery scales and that is native to western Asia and southern Europe and is widely cultivated in arid windy regions as an ornamental, as a coarse hedge or shelterbelt plant, or for wildlife food — called also oleaster