Laburnums

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small ornamental trees of the pea family bearing drooping clusters of yellow flowers and highly poisonous seeds in long pods
2. Flowering trees native to Europe whose hanging golden blossoms and toxic seeds make them popular garden plants
3. Ornamental leguminous trees with cascading yellow flower racemes, all parts of which contain dangerous alkaloids

Etymology: Laburnums are the plural of "laburnum", the name of a small tree with hanging yellow flowers, and the singular comes straight from Latin, where "laburnum" was the name of this same tree. The Latin word is the one English borrowed, so the plural simply follows the English pattern of adding an "s" to the noun.

Synonyms: golden chain