scurvy grass

American  

noun

1. a plant, Cochlearia officinalis, of the mustard family, purported to be a remedy for scurvy.

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scurvy grass British  

noun

1. any of various plants of the genus Cochlearia, esp C. officinalis, of Europe and North America, formerly used to treat scurvy: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)

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Etymology

Origin of scurvy grass

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scurvy grass

The different vegetables met with were scurvy grass, wild celery, spinach, endive, and samphire.

From The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay With an Account of the Establishment of the Colonies of Port Jackson and Norfolk Island (1789) by Phillip, Arthur

Under ordinary circumstances he would merely have had to drive away feathered pilferers, such as guillemots or puffins, from his sorrel and scurvy grass.

From The Fur Country Seventy Degrees North Latitude by D'Anvers, N.

They found nothing here fit for refreshment, except some herbs which tasted like scurvy grass, and saw some dogs which could neither bark nor snarl, and for which reason they named it Dog Island.

From A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 10 Arranged in systematic order: Forming a complete history of the origin and progress of navigation, discovery, and commerce, by sea and land, from the earliest ages to the present time. by Kerr, Robert

He therefore, directed his course towards Palmerston Island, where he arrived on the 14th of April, and where he found birds in abundance, scurvy grass, and cocoa-nuts.

From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part 2. The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Benett, Léon

The Resolution escaped the scourge, owing to the precautions from which Cook never departed for a single day, and the example which he himself set of constantly eating celery and scurvy grass.

From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part 2. The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Benett, Léon