arnica

[ ahr-ni-kuh ]

/ ˈɑr nɪ kə /

noun

any composite plant of the genus Arnica, having opposite leaves and yellow flower heads.

a tincture of the flowers of A. montana, of Europe, and other species of Arnica, formerly used as an external application in sprains and bruises.

Nearby words

arne, thomas augustine, arnel, arneth count, arnhem, arnhem land, arnica, arnim, arno, arno, peter, arnold, arnold's canal

Origin of arnica

1745–55; < New Latin < ?

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

Examples from the Web for arnica

From the flowers of mountain arnica or German leopards bane (Arnica montana).
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Maggie's head was bound up, and her bruises washed with arnica, and both she and Bessie were petted and comforted.
Bessie at the Sea-Side|Joanna Mathews
Matt, for such an emergency as had just presented itself, always carried a bottle of arnica in the toolbox.
Motor Matt's Peril, or, Cast Away in the Bahamas|Stanley R. Matthews
She returned in an hour, and asked her mother for the arnica.
Dr. Breen's Practice|William Dean Howells

So I washed it myself, night and morning, applying a solution of tincture of arnica, and it soon began to mend.
Blanco y Colorado|William C. Tetley

British Dictionary definitions for arnica

arnica

/ (ˈɑːnɪkə) /

noun

any N temperate or arctic plant of the genus Arnica, typically having yellow flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

the tincture of the dried flower heads of any of these plants, esp A. montana, used in treating bruises

Word Origin for arnica

C18: from New Latin, of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for arnica

arnica

plant genus of the borage family, 1753, Modern Latin, of unknown origin. Klein suggests Arabic arnabiyah, a name of a type of plant, as the ultimate source.