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cancerroot

[kan-ser-root, -roo t]
noun
  1. any parasitic plant of the genus Orobanche, especially O. uniflora, of North America, having pale, leafless stalks bearing a single white or purplish flower.
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Origin of cancerroot

1705–15; cancer + root1; so called from its folk-medicinal use in treating cancerous growths
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018