fleabane

[ flee-beyn ]

/ ˈfliˌbeɪn /

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noun

any of various composite plants, as Pulicaria dysenterica, of Europe, or Erigeron philadelphicus, of the U.S., reputed to destroy or drive away fleas.

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Origin of fleabane

First recorded in 1540–50; flea + bane

Words nearby fleabane

fld., fl. dr., fldxt, flea, fleabag, fleabane, flea beetle, fleabite, flea-bitten, flea collar, flea-flicker

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

How to use fleabane in a sentence

Our fleabane is a troublesome weed at times, but good husbandry has little to dread from it.
A Year in the Fields|John Burroughs
The illustration Fig. 24 shows how the daisy fleabane looks when first gathered.
Mother Nature's Toy-Shop|Lina Beard
The clover is all graceful curves, the daisy fleabane is stiff and formal with straight lines and angles.
Mother Nature's Toy-Shop|Lina Beard

British Dictionary definitions for fleabane

fleabane

/ (ˈfliːˌbeɪn) /

noun

any of several plants of the genus Erigeron, such as E. acer, having purplish tubular flower heads with orange centres: family Asteraceae (composites)

any of several plants of the related genus Pulicaria, esp the Eurasian P. dysenterica, which has yellow daisy-like flower heads

Canadian fleabane a related plant, Conyza (or Erigeron) canadensis, with small white tubular flower headsUS name: horseweed

any of various other plants reputed to ward off fleas

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