arabis

[ ar-uh-bis ]

/ ˈær ə bɪs /

noun

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

Nearby words

arabica bean, arabica coffee, arabicize, arabinose, arabinoside, arabis, arabist, arabize, arable, araby, aracaju

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arabis

In northern Indiana he found this butterfly abundant in April at the time of the blossoming of Arabis lyrata.
Butterflies Worth Knowing|Clarence M. Weed
The Arabis is easily propagated by slips or rootlets, which should be taken after flowering.
Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers|John Wood
An interesting rock-cress is found in the Arabis Depauperata, which here shows the results of its fierce struggles for existence.
The Lake of the Sky|George Wharton James
The arabis with its snowy blossoms is beautiful beneath the early tulips.
Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916|Various

The caterpillar feeds on Sisymbrium, Arabis, Cardamine, and other cruciferous plants.
The Butterfly Book|William Jacob Holland

British Dictionary definitions for arabis

arabis

/ (ˈærəbɪs) /

noun

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)Also called: rock cress

Word Origin for arabis

New Latin, from Greek arabis (fem) of Arabia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012