Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Neem |
NeemNoun1. Large semi-evergreen tree of East India; trunk exudes a tenacious gum; bitter bark used as a tonic; seeds yield an aromatic oil; sometimes placed in genus Melia. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "neem" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1913. (references) |
Synonyms: NeemSynonyms: arishth (n), margosa (n), neem tree (n), nim tree (n). (additional references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
| Neem | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Azadirachta indica |
Neem (Azadirachta indica (A. Juss)) Synonyms: Antelaea azadirachta (L.) Adelb. or Melia azadirachta L. Ohter common names: Margosa, Nimtree, Indian-lilac, margosier (fr)
The trunk is relatively short, straight and may reach a girth of 1.5-3.5 m. The bark is hard, fissured or scaly, and whitish-grey to reddish-brown. The sap wood is greyish-white and the heart wood reddish when first exposed to the air becoming reddish-brown after exposure. The root system consists of a strong taproot (can be twice as long as the height of the tree) and well developed lateral roots.
The unpaired, pinnate leaves are 20-40 cm long and the medium to dark green leaflets (which number up to 31) are about 3-8 cm long. The terminal leaflet is often missing. The petioles are short. Very young leaves are reddish to purplish in colour. The shape of mature leaflets is more or less asymmetric and their margins are dentate with the exception of the base of their basiscopal half, which is normally very strongly reduced and cuneate.
The flowers (white and fragrant) are arranged axillary, normally more-or-less drooping panicles which are up to 25 cm long. The inflorescences, which branch up to the third degree, bear 150-250 flowers. An individual flower is 5-6 mm long and 8-11 mm wide. Protandric and bisexual flowers and male flowers exist on the same individual (polygamous).
The glabrous fruits are olive-like drupes which vary in shape from elongate oval to nearly roundish, and when ripe are 1.4-2.8 x 1.0-1.5 cm. The fruit skin (exocarp) is thin and the bitter-sweet pulp (mesocarp) is yellowish-white and very fibrous. The mesocarp is 0.3-0.5 cm thick. The white, hard inner shell (endocarp) of the fruit encloses one, rarely two or three, elongated seeds (sometimes referred to as “seed kernels” or kernels) having a brown testa (seed coat).
Of primary interest to research scientists is its activity as an insecticide. Many of the tree's secondary metabolites have biological activity, but azadirachtin is considered to be of the most ecological importance. Studies have shown a wide spectrum of activity and species affected. Research has increased in the past few years as the desire for safe pest control methods increases and it becomes apparent that this tree will be able to play a role in integrated pest management systems.
Distribution:
A native to India and Burma, neem trees are only suited to the tropical and semi-tropical regions. Through introduction the tree has spread to Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia and the islands of the south Pacific. It is present mainly in the drier (arid) tropical and subtropical zones. Mountainous areas are generally avoided.Botanical characteristics:
Neem is a fast growing tree that can reach a height of 15-20 m. Under favourable conditions up to approximately 35-40 m. It is an evergreen but under severe conditions it may shed most or nearly all of its leaves. The branches are wide spread. The fairly dense crown is roundish or oval and may reach the diameter of 15-20 m in old, free-standing specimens.Ecology:
The neem tree is famous for its drought resistance. Normally it thrives in areas with sub-arid to sub-humid conditions, with an annual rainfall between 400 and 1200 mm. It can grow in regions with an annual rainfall below 400 mm, but in such cases it depends largely on the ground water levels. Neem can grow in many different types of soil, but it thrives best on well drained deep and sandy soils. (pH 6.2-7.0). It is a typical tropical/subtropical tree and exists at annual mean temperatures between 21-32 °C. It can tolerate high to very high temperatures. It doesn't tolerate temperature below 4 °C (leaf shedding and death may ensue).A multipurpose tree:
The beneficial properties of the neem tree have been part of Indian folklore for thousands of years. Dubbed 'the village pharmacy', it has numerous medicinal properties, aiding conditions ranging from digestive disorders to diabetes and from high cholesterol to cancer. For many of the medicinal properties mentioned, no scientific data exists, but the fame is based on traditional knowledge (Ayurvedic medicine) or anecdotal stories. Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine the Neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good CO2 sink. Useful books:
Useful links:
http://www.neemfoundation.org/
http://www.fao.org/forestry/FOR/FORM/FOGENRES/Inn/neem.stm
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Neem."
Crosswords: Neem |
| English words defined with "neem": Azadirachta ♦ genus Azadirachta ♦ neem cake, neem seed, neem tree. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Neem" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Afrikaan (accept, get, lay, lay hold of, pick, pick up, receive, take, take in), Dutch (take), Flemish (take). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | Neem de handschoen op (1958) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Neem" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 83.33% of the time. "Neem" is used about 6 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 83.33% | 5 | 157,705 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 16.67% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 6 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "neem": neem cake ♦ neem seed ♦ neem tree. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "neem": neem-based. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
neem | 340 |
neem oil | 180 |
neem tree | 93 |
neem leaf | 46 |
neem product | 35 |
neem cream | 32 |
neem tea | 31 |
neem extract | 30 |
neem lotion | 29 |
what i neem | 29 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "neem"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
French | neem, margousier, lilas des Indes. (various references) | |
Greek | ινδική πασχαλιά (margosa). (various references) | |
Italian | margosa (margosa). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eemnay.(various references) | |
Thai | พืชเขตร้อนตระกูลมะฮอกกะนี มีมากในแถบเอเชีย. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Azadirachta indica. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "neem": neems. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-e-m-n" | |
-1 letter: eme, men, nee. | |
-2 letters: em, en, me, ne. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-e-m-n" | |
+1 letter: emend, enema, enemy, mense, mesne, neems, neume, semen. | |
+2 letters: axemen, bemean, bename, cement, cymene, demean, dement, emends, emetin, enamel, enemas, enmesh, enzyme, ermine, examen, foemen, genome, germen, hempen, icemen, legmen, manege, meaner, meanie, meinie, menace, menage, mended, mender, mensae, mensed, menses, mermen, mesnes, moreen, neumes, omened, penmen, premen, remend, rename, seamen, semens, tegmen, toneme, unmeet, yeomen. | |
+3 letters: amebean, amended, amender, amylene, anemone, axoneme, basemen, beadmen, bedeman, bedemen, bellmen, bemeans, benamed, benames, benempt, cavemen, cementa, cements, centime, cerumen, clement, crewmen, cymenes, deeming, demeans, dements, demesne, demeton, deskmen, element, emanate, emended, emender, emetine, emetins, eminent, empanel, emplane, enamels, enamine, endemic, endgame, enemata, enemies, enflame, enframe, envenom, enzymes, ermined, ermines, etamine, eudemon, examens, examine, feminie, ferment, firemen, foremen, freeman, freemen, gatemen, genomes, germane, germens, gleeman, gleemen, headmen, hegumen, hemline, herdmen, immense, kamseen, leadmen, lensmen, linemen, manatee, maneges, matinee, meander, meaners, meanest, meanies, meatmen, meeting, meinies, melange, memento, menaced, menacer, menaces, menages, menders, messmen, methane, moderne, moneyed, moneyer, mooneye, moreens, myeline, mynheer, nemeses, nemesis, newsmen, nominee, nonheme, oenomel, onetime, overmen, penname, phoneme, pikemen, premune, prename, reedman, reedmen, regimen, remends, renamed, renames, seedman, seedmen, seeming, segment, sidemen, siemens, sokemen, someone, teeming, tegumen, teleman, telemen, tonemes, umpteen, unmewed, velamen, venomed, venomer, wiremen, yeggmen. | |
+4 letters: abetment, adeeming, aldermen, ambience, amenable, amenders, amoebean, amylenes, anemones, anemoses, anthemed, antimere, atheneum, averment, axonemes, bargemen, basement, beadsmen, bedamned, bedesman, bedesmen, bemadden, bemeaned, bemingle, bemoaned, benumbed, bluesmen, bodement, bogeymen, bonemeal, brakemen, camphene, casement, cemented, cementer, cementum, centimes, cerement, ceremony, cerumens, chessmen, choremen, clemency, coenzyme, commence, cymogene, daemones, dalesmen, damneder, dampened, dampener, demanded, demander, demeaned, demeanor, demented, dementia, demesnes, demetons, demilune, demoness, demonise, demonize, domineer, earthmen, easement, ecumenic, elements, emanated, emanates, embanked, embolden, emceeing, emendate, emenders, emending, emergent, emerging, emersion, emetines, eminence, eminency, empanels, emplaned, emplanes, empyrean, enameled, enameler, enamines, enamored, encamped, encumber, endamage, endameba, endemial, endemics, endemism, endermic, endgames, endoderm, endosome, enflamed, enflames, enframed, enframes, engramme, enjambed, enmeshed, enmeshes, enmities, ensample, ensemble, entameba, entoderm, entombed, envenoms, enwombed, ependyma, erumpent, etamines, eudaemon, eudemons, everyman, everymen, examined, examinee, examiner, examines, exanthem, feminine, feminise, feminize, ferments, ferrymen, filename, fomented, fomenter, forename, freedman, freedmen, freshmen, fuglemen, gameness, gamesmen, ganymede, geminate, gemstone, gendarme, headsmen, hegemony, hegumene, hegumens, hegumeny, helmsmen, hematein, hematine, hemlines, henchmen, herdsmen, hermaean, hexamine, horsemen, hotelmen, housemen, hymeneal, ilmenite, immenser, impended, inmeshed, inmeshes, kamseens, khamseen, lameness, lamented, lamenter, leadsmen, lemonade, lemurine, liegeman, liegemen, limonene, linesmen, lonesome, maddened, maenades, maleness, manatees, maneless, maneuver, mannered, mantelet, matinees, meanders, meanness, meantime, medicine, meekness, meetings, meetness, megadyne, melamine, melanges, melanite, melanize, melinite, melodeon, membrane, mementos, menacers, menarche, mendable, menhaden, meninges, menschen, mensches, menseful, menswear, menthene, mentored, merengue, mergence, meringue, metering, methanes, meuniere, mezereon, mijnheer, mildened, mineable, miseaten, misenter, misevent, missense, moderner, modernes, monetise, monetize, moneyers, moneymen, mongeese, mongered, monkeyed, mooneyes, moonseed, movement, muenster, muteness, mutineer, myelines, mynheers, nameable, nameless, namesake, nematode, newcomer, noblemen, nominees, numbered, numberer, numerate, oenomels, overmine, pavement, pediment, pemoline, pennames, perineum, permeant, phonemes, placemen, prenames, prenomen, pressmen, queendom, redemand, regimens, regiment, reinsmen, relumine, remained, remanded, remanent, remanned, remended, reminded, reminder, reminted, renumber, reremind, riflemen, routemen, salesmen, sameness, sediment, seedsman, seedsmen, seemings, segments, selenium, seminude, semitone, sheepman, sheepmen, smeeking, solemner, someones, somewhen, spacemen, spearmen, specimen, spermine, supermen, talesmen, tameness, tegmenta, tegument, tenement, tenesmic, tenesmus, theremin, timeline, umteenth, unhelmed, unmeetly, unmelted, unmended, unmeshed, unmeshes, unseamed, unseemly, vehement, venomers, verseman, versemen, vestment, vomerine, watermen, weighmen, weldment, whalemen, wheelman, wheelmen, zonetime, zymogene. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)4E 65 65 6D |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)-. . . -- |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001110 01100101 01100101 01101101 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)N e e m |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)004E 0065 0065 006D |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)48717179 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Anagrams | 13. Orthography 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
