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

The arabis with its snowy blossoms is beautiful beneath the early tulips.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by Latham, A. W.

Toadflax and arabis climb over the old garden walls: one little house looks as if its walls were held together by coils of wistaria.

From Highways and Byways in Surrey by Thomson, Hugh

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

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

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