fleawort

American  

[flee-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈfliˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

1. a European plantain, Plantago psyllium, having seeds that are used in medicine.

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fleawort British  

/ ˈfliːˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any of various plants of the genus Senecio , esp S. integrifolius , a European species with yellow daisy-like flowers and rosettes of downy leaves: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. a Eurasian plantain, Plantago psyllium (or P. indica ), whose seeds resemble fleas and were formerly used as a flea repellent

3. another name for ploughman's spikenard

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Etymology

Origin of fleawort

before 1000; Middle English flewort, Old English flēawyrt. See flea, wort ²

Example Sentences

Yet in the marshy interior of the island, with areas left open to water, there has been an explosion of wildlife in only a few years, from the pioneer fleawort plants, reeds and young willow trees, to more surprising arrivals.

From The Guardian

The small seeds of a Plantain grass which grows commonly in Southern Europe, the Fleawort, or Plantago Psyllium, have been known from time immemorial as an easy and popular aperient.

From Project Gutenberg