1. evergreen climbing plant: an evergreen climbing plant with woody stems and green, green-and-yellow, or green-and-white leaves that grows easily on walls or trees or along the ground. Genus Hedera.
2. plant similar to ivy: a climbing plant that resembles the true ivy, e.g. Boston ivy, Japanese ivy, poison ivy, or ground ivy
3. regional mountain laurel: the mountain laurel, an evergreen bush with leathery poisonous leaves
[ Old English īfig< Germanic]
Regional History
In the sense "mountain laurel," ivy is used mainly in Appalachia, from Virginia and Kentucky to the Carolinas and Georgia, but also in New England, notably Connecticut and Massachusetts.
