elecampane

[ el-i-kam-peyn ]

/ ˌɛl ɪ kæmˈpeɪn /

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noun

a composite weed, Inula helenium, naturalized in North America, having large yellow flowers and aromatic leaves and root.

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Origin of elecampane

1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to Old English ele(ne), eolone (metathetic alteration of Medieval Latin enula,Latin inula elecampane) + Middle English campane<Medieval Latin campāna, equivalent to camp(us) field + -āna, feminine of -ānus-ane, -an

Words nearby elecampane

Eleanor of Castile, Eleanor of Provence, e-learning, Eleatic, Eleazar, elecampane, elect, electable, elected, election, election cake

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

How to use elecampane in a sentence

One time the weather was very sharp, and I had taken great cold, I got a little elecampane beer.
George Fox|George Fox
Elecampane, now known as the sweetmeat of childhood, was esteemed for ages in the domestic herbal.
Nooks and Corners of English Life, Past and Present|John Timbs
This was in pennyroyal time, and when the rare lobelia was in its prime and the elecampane was coming on.
The Country of the Pointed Firs|Sarah Orne Jewett
"I just saw a nice plant o' elecampane growin' back there," she said presently to her daughter.
The Country of the Pointed Firs|Sarah Orne Jewett

Inula (elecampane) has been employed as a cough remedy in England for centuries.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for elecampane

elecampane

/ (ˌɛlɪkæmˈpeɪn) /

noun

a perennial flowering plant, Inula helenium, of Europe, Asia, and North America having large hairy leaves and narrow yellow petals: family Asteraceae (composites)

Word Origin for elecampane

C16: from Medieval Latin enula campãna, from enula (from Greek helenion) + campãnus of the field

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