arabis

American  

[ar-uh-bis] / ˈær ə bɪs /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Arabis, including the rock cresses.

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arabis British  

/ ˈærəbɪs /

noun

1. Also called: rock cress.  any plant of the annual or perennial genus Arabis , some of which form low-growing mats with downy grey foliage and white flowers: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

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Etymology

Origin of arabis

1570–80; < New Latin < Greek árabis (stem arabid- ) Arabian mustard (derivative with arab-, as in Arabía Arabia, Áraps Arab, etc.); probably applied to the plant because it grows in rocky or sandy soil

Example Sentences

Such spring-flowering perennials as the white arabis, herbaceous candytufts, aubretias, primulas, and polyanthuses, should now be placed in situations where it is desired for them to flower.

From Little Folks (November 1884) A Magazine for the Young by Various

So, too, spinach and lettuce may be covered with blight, while the bitter spurges, the woolly-leaved arabis, and the strong-scented thyme close by are utterly untouched.

From Falling in Love With Other Essays on More Exact Branches of Science by Allen, Grant

Only one or two strayed sometimes to the early arabis, desultory and sad, driven home again by the frosty air to await the purple times of honey.

From Gone to Earth by Webb, Mary Gladys Meredith

The white arabis also does well under similar conditions; both are useful for draping perpendicular surfaces, such as the steep side of a bank or hedge.

From Small Gardens and How to Make the Most of Them by Biddle, Violet Purton

A tall, top-hatted figure, enfolded in long, shaggy gray frieze coat, came up the paved yard toward them between clouds of arabis.

From Boy Woodburn A Story of the Sussex Downs by Ollivant, Alfred