croton

plural crotons

1. Any of various plants, of the genus Croton, that yield croton oil.
2. A tropical evergreen shrub (Codiaeum variegatum), having glossy foliage, cultivated as a houseplant.

   The croton bushes, by day hideous things like jaundiced laurels, were changed by the moon into jagged black and white designs like fantastic wood-cuts.

   1934, George Orwell, chapter 15, in Burmese Days

   Synonyms: fire croton, garden croton, variegated croton

1. A river in southern New York.
2. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Croton-on-Hudson: a village in southern New York, USA, located along the Croton and Hudson rivers.
3. datedThe water supply of New York City.First known use 1840

   New York Cotton Exchange - A pressure of about 14 pounds from the Croton main

   1895 June 29, “THE POOR WATER SUPPLY; Business Men Alarmed by The New-York Times Exposures”, in New York Times

   2 more examples

   The pumps now draw water from this tank, instead of from the "Croton main" as formerly.

   1869, “Annual report of the Department of Public Charities of the City of New York”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 178

   The water, supplied from the "Croton" main at the 68th Street side of the building, is connected by two pipes: one for direct service, and the other to supply a hot-air engine, which forces the water to the tank at the top of the house for a high or indirect service.

   1891, Transactions of the Royal Institute of British Architects, page 364

1. classical historyCrotone