| Laurus | ‖n. [ L., laurel. ] (Bot.) A genus of trees including, according to modern authors, only the true laurel (Laurus nobilis), and the larger Laurus Canariensis of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Formerly the sassafras, the camphor tree, the cinnamon tree, and several other aromatic trees and shrubs, were also referred to the genus Laurus. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Taurus | ‖n. [ L., akin to Gr. tay^ros, and E. steer. See Steer a young ox. ] 1. (Astron.) (a) The Bull; the second in order of the twelve signs of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 20th of April; -- marked thus [ &taurus_; ] in almanacs. (b) A zodiacal constellation, containing the well-known clusters called the Pleiades and the Hyades, in the latter of which is situated the remarkably bright Aldebaran. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Zool.) A genus of ruminants comprising the common domestic cattle. [ 1913 Webster ] |
