ˈsmīˌlaks noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, a kind of oak, yew, bindweed, from Greek; perhaps akin to Greek smilē wood-carving knife; from the use of oak in carving — more at smith
1. capitalized : a large widely distributed genus of plants (family Liliaceae) having small greenish flowers in axillary umbels and erect often prickly stems that climb by means of petiolar tendrils — see catbrier , sarsaparilla
2. plural smilaxes : a delicate greenhouse twining plant ( Asparagus asparagoides ) of southern Africa having ovate, bright-green cladophylls and being used especially by florists in bouquet work and as a pot plant