borage

[ bawr-ij, bor-, bur- ]

/ ˈbɔr ɪdʒ, ˈbɒr-, ˈbɜr- /

noun

a plant, Borago officinalis, native to southern Europe, having hairy leaves and stems, used medicinally and in salads.Compare borage family.

any of various allied or similar plants.

Nearby words

bora bora, bora-bora, boraces, boracic, boracite, borage, borage family, boraginaceous, borah, borah peak, borah, mount

Origin of borage

1250–1300; Middle English burage < Anglo-French borage, bo(u)-rache, Middle French bourage < Vulgar Latin *burrāgō (Late Latin burra hair stuffing + -gō noun suffix)

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

Examples from the Web for borage

Up to this time the ground is kept open and clean by cultivation; afterwards the borage will usually have possession.
Culinary Herbs: Their Cultivation Harvesting Curing and Uses|M. G. Kains
Mix well, pop in a few sprigs of borage, and a block or two of ice.
Cakes & Ale|Edward Spencer
To the above add a few slices of cucumber, or some sprigs of borage instead of cucumber.
Cups and their Customs|George Edwin Roberts
Like Gerard, he does not question the efficacy of borage, bugloss and many other herbs to promote happiness.
The Old English Herbals|Eleanour Sinclair Rohde

It feeds on the wild heartsease, also on sainfoin and borage.
British Butterfiles|W. S. Coleman

British Dictionary definitions for borage

borage

/ (ˈbɒrɪdʒ, ˈbʌrɪdʒ) /

noun

a European boraginaceous plant, Borago officinalis, with star-shaped blue flowers. The young leaves have a cucumber-like flavour and are sometimes used in salads or as seasoning

any of several related plants

Word Origin for borage

C13: from Old French bourage, perhaps from Arabic abū `āraq literally: father of sweat, from its use as a diaphoretic

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 borage

borage

flowering plant used in salads, mid-13c., from Anglo-French, Old French borage (13c., Modern French bourrache), from Medieval Latin borrago. Klein says this is ultimately from Arabic abu arak, literally "the father of sweat," so called by Arab physicians for its effect on humans. But OED says it's from Latin borra "rough hair, short wool," in reference to the texture of the foliage.