Hypertext Webster Gateway: "aloes"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Aloes
(Heb. 'ahalim), a fragrant wood (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Prov.
7:17; Cant. 4:14), the Aquilaria agallochum of botanists, or, as
some suppose, the costly gum or perfume extracted from the wood.
It is found in China, Siam, and Northern India, and grows to the
height sometimes of 120 feet. This species is of great rarity
even in India. There is another and more common species, called
by Indians aghil, whence Europeans have given it the name of
Lignum aquile, or eagle-wood. Aloewood was used by the Egyptians
for embalming dead bodies. Nicodemus brought it (pounded
aloe-wood) to embalm the body of Christ (John 19:39); but
whether this was the same as that mentioned elsewhere is
uncertain.
The bitter aloes of the apothecary is the dried juice of the
leaves Aloe vulgaris.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Aloe \Al"oe\ ([a^]l"n[-o]), n.; pl. {Aloes} (-[=o]z). [L.
alo["e], Gr. 'alo`h, aloe: cf. OF. aloe, F. alo[`e]s.]
1. pl. The wood of the agalloch. [Obs.] --Wyclif.
2. (Bot.) A genus of succulent plants, some classed as trees,
others as shrubs, but the greater number having the habit
and appearance of evergreen herbaceous plants; from some
of which are prepared articles for medicine and the arts.
They are natives of warm countries.
3. pl. (Med.) The inspissated juice of several species of
aloe, used as a purgative. [Plural in form but
syntactically singular.]
{American aloe}, {Century aloe}, the agave. See {Agave}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
aloes
n : a purgative made from the leaves of aloe [syn: {bitter aloes}]
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