bryony

or bri·o·ny

[ brahy-uh-nee ]

noun,plural bry·o·nies.

any Old World vine or climbing plant belonging to the genus Bryonia, of the gourd family, yielding acrid juice having emetic and purgative properties.

Origin of bryony

before 1000; Middle English brionie,Old English bryōnia<Latin <Greek: a wild vine

Words Nearby bryony

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bryony in a sentence

From the infusion or decoction of the root of white bryony (Bryonia dioica).
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I | Arnold Cooley
The two kinds of wild bryony are also herbaceous climbers of rapid growth, and among the most beautiful of our hedge plants.
Wood and Garden | Gertrude Jekyll
HE gardener bade Arcade and Zita sit down in an arbour walled with wild bryony, at the far end of the orchard.
The Revolt of the Angels | Anatole France
Black bryony is a twining plant, and can travel spirally up the hazel stems, just as a hop ascends its pole.
Rustic Sounds | Francis Darwin
Black bryony and woodbine twisted up every available stem, and a knot of blackthorn grew over all.
Poachers and Poaching | John Watson

British Dictionary definitions for bryony

bryony

briony

/ (ˈbraɪənɪ) /

nounplural -nies

any of several herbaceous climbing plants of the cucurbitaceous genus Bryonia, of Europe and N Africa: See also black bryony, white bryony

Origin of bryony

Old English bryōnia, from Latin, from Greek bruōnia

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

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