different between wintergreen vs peppermint

English

Etymology

From winter +? green.

Noun

wintergreen (plural wintergreens)

1. (obsolete) Any evergreen plant.
2. One of various unrelated evergreen plants, including:
   1. Plants in shrub genus Gaultheria, commonly known as wintergreen, especially:
      1. Gaultheria procumbens, native to North America, having solitary white flowers and aromatic leaves (checkerberry or teaberry)
      2. Gaultheria humifusa – alpine wintergreen
      3. Gaultheria ovatifolia – western teaberry or Oregon spicy wintergreen
      4. Chimaphila maculata – striped wintergreen, pipsissewa
   2. Plants in any of several other genera in the herbaceous family Ericaceae, including:
      1. Genus Pyrola, native to northern temperate and Arctic regions.
      2. Genus Orthilia
      3. Genus Moneses
      4. Genus Chimaphila (prince's pine, pipsissewa)
   3. Some species of the herbaceous genus Trientalis, in family Primulaceae (chickweed wintergreen)
3. The spicy red berries of Gaultheria procumbens.
4. The oil, methyl salicylate, obtained from these berries.
5. The aroma of the oil, methyl salicylate, however derived.

Synonyms

• (perennial of the genus Pyrola): shinleaf
• (Gaultheria procumbens): boxberry, checkerberry, partridgeberry, spiceberry, teaberry

Derived terms

Translations

See also

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p?p??m?nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p?p??m?nt/

Noun

peppermint (countable and uncountable, plural peppermints)

1. A hybrid herb of the mint family (Mentha × piperita), formed by crossing watermint and spearmint, which has a high menthol content and a sharp flavor and is used in cooking, especially in herb teas and in confections.
2. (countable) A confection containing extract of peppermint.

Derived terms

• peppermint oil
• peppermint stick

Translations