Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as anime, 3.
  • noun The tree which yields courbaril resin or anime. See Hymenæa.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun See animé, n.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun dated anime (resin from Hymenaea courbaril)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun West Indian locust tree having pinnate leaves and panicles of large white or purplish flowers; yields very hard tough wood

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French courbaril, from a South American word.

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Examples

Comments

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  • "–ril is not an expected word-ending. There are probably fewer than a dozen words in English ending in –ril. Most are unusual words, such as umbril and courbaril. Only four – April, Avril, peril, and nostril – are at all common."

    David Crystal, By Hook or By Crook p 200

    December 20, 2008

  • Probably because it's rarely used, but doesn't look strange, -ril is used in the brand names of a number of drugs (Bovril, Mellaril, Restoril, Zestril).

    Even excluding names of drugs, there are more than a dozen words ending in -ril. Cyril and tendril are familiar, and aril, fibril and tendril are not too arcane. Maril, nombril, tumbril, and zoril are a bit more obscure. How about Shakepeare's Goneril and Tolkien's Andúril and mithril?

    December 20, 2008

  • Though the 'vril' in Bovril has its own bizarre origin.

    December 21, 2008