Phrase guide

poison ivy

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of three ivy-like species of Toxicodendron, known for their ability to cause an itching rash and blistering for most people, through urushiol, an oil that is a skin irritant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any species of Toxicodendron that can cause a rash, including poison oak and poison sumac.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, proscribed, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

climbing plant common in eastern and central United States with ternate leaves and greenish flowers followed by white berries; yields an irritating oil that causes a rash on contact

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: markweed, poison mercury, poison oak, Toxicodendron radicans, Rhus radicans

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: poisonous plant

4

noun

Meaning 4

dermatitis resulting from contact with the poison ivy plant

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • my poison ivy is drying up

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Rhus dermatitis

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: لَبْلَاب (lablāb) — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Basque: huntz pozoitsu — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Catalan: heura metzinosa — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Cherokee: ᎤᎸᏓ (ulvda) — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Czech: jedovatec kořenující — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Dutch: gifsumak — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Esperanto: toksikodendro — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Finnish: myrkkymuratti — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • French: sumac vénéneux — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • French: herbe à puce — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • German: Giftsumach — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Irish: eidhneán nimhe — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Korean: 덩굴옻나무 (deongguronnamu) — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Navajo: kʼíshíshjį́į́zh — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Portuguese: hera venenosa — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Russian: ядови́тый плющ (jadovítyj pljušč) — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Serbo-Croatian: отровни бршљан — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Serbo-Croatian: otrovni bršljan — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Spanish: hiedra venenosa — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Spanish: yedra ponzoñosa — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Swedish: klättersumak — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Tagalog: kanipay — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Tagalog: yedra — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Turkish: zehirli sarmaşık — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants
  • Yiddish: סם־בלעטלעך (sam-bletlekh) — one of several ivy-like urushiol-producing plants