noun

• A shrub or small tree that typically bears thorns and black berries. Some kinds yield dyes and others have been used medicinally.

  Genus Rhamnus, family Rhamnaceae: several species, including the common buckthorn (R. cathartica), with berries formerly used as a cathartic. See also alder buckthorn

  ‘We do not recommend strong laxatives such as senna or buckthorn for you.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘It requires two species of host plant to complete its life cycle: common buckthorn and soybean.’
  • ‘These herbal teas typically include senna, aloe, buckthorn and other plant-derived laxatives.’
  • ‘Minqin also planted ramparts of rose willow, buckthorn and other deep-root trees in a 200-mile file along the desert fronts.’
  • ‘The jujube (pronounced juh-ju-bee or juh-juh-bee) is a member of the buckthorn family, or Rhamnaceae.’