horehound

American  

[hawr-hound, hohr-] / ˈhɔrˌhaʊnd, ˈhoʊr- /

Or hoarhound

noun

1. an Old World plant, Marrubium vulgare, of the mint family, having downy leaves and small, whitish flowers, and containing a bitter, medicinal juice that is used as an expectorant, vermifuge, and laxative.

2. any of various plants of the mint family.

3. a brittle candy or lozenge flavored with horehound extract.

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horehound British  

/ ˈhɔːˌhaʊnd /

noun

1. Also called: white horehound.  a downy perennial herbaceous Old World plant, Marrubium vulgare , with small white flowers that contain a bitter juice formerly used as a cough medicine and flavouring: family Lamiaceae (labiates) See also black horehound

2. another name for bugleweed

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Etymology

Origin of horehound

before 1000; Middle English horehune, Old English hārhūne, equivalent to hār gray, hoar + hūne horehound

Example Sentences

Truely I am hoarse with driving my Cammells, and nothing does me good but sirrop of Horehound.

From A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 1 by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry)

This is the fundamental element of all the quack medicines for "coughs, colds, catarrhs, and consumption," from Ford's "Balsam of Horehound" to Dr. Solomon's "Balm of Gilead."

From Notes and Queries, Number 28, May 11, 1850 by Various

In Beaumont and Fletcher's Faithful Shepherdess, we read of:—         "Black Horehound, good     For Sheep, or Shepherd bitten by a wood-dog's venomed tooth."

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

Some writers suppose the Succory to be the Horehound of the Bible.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

Horehound tea was for colds, and elderberry tea was to help babies teethe easier.

From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Georgia Narratives, Part 2 by Work Projects Administration