oleander
OH-lee-AN-der · noun
Origin
Oleander comes from French oléandre, from Medieval Latin oleandru, from Late Latin lorandrum — a word that may itself be an alteration of rhododendron.
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Journey
The Late Latin lorandrum is thought to have twisted its shape, perhaps under the influence of rhododendron, before settling into oleandru and then oléandre.
Related words
If the theory about lorandrum's alteration holds, oleander shares a distant thread with rhododendron, another word for a flowering shrub.