bugbane

[buhg-beyn]

noun

any of several tall, erect plants belonging to the genus Cimicifuga, of the buttercup family, as C. americana, of the eastern U.S., having loose, elongated clusters of white flowers.

Origin of bugbane

1795–1805; bug¹ + bane; so called because it supposedly repels insects

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

British Dictionary definitions for bugbane

bugbane

noun

any of several ranunculaceous plants of the genus Cimicifuga, esp C. foetida of Europe, whose flowers are reputed to repel insects

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