motherwort

[ muhth-er-wurt, -wawrt ]

noun
  1. a European plant, Leonorus cardiaca, of the mint family, an introduced weed in the U.S., having cut leaves with a whorl of lavender flowers in the axils.

Origin of motherwort

1
1350–1400; Middle English moderwort (see mother1, wort2), so called because believed helpful for diseases of the womb

Words Nearby motherwort

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How to use motherwort in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for motherwort

motherwort

/ (ˈmʌðəˌwɜːt) /


noun
  1. any of several plants of the Eurasian genus Leonurus, esp L. cardiaca, having divided leaves and clusters of small purple or pink flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Origin of motherwort

1
C14: so named because it was thought to be beneficial in uterine disorders

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