grapple plant

American

noun

a procumbent, thorny plant, Harpagophytum procumbens, of southern Africa.

grapple plant British

noun

Also called: wait-a-bit. a herbaceous plant, Harpagophytum procumbens, of southern Africa, whose fruits are covered with large woody barbed hooks: family Pedaliaceae

"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

Etymology

Origin of grapple plant

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

grapple plant

David, who examined it, said it came from the plant Uncaria procumbens; or grapple plant.

From In the Wilds of Africa by Alfred Pearse

“The poor creature has got this seed-vessel of the grapple plant into his mouth,” he said, exhibiting it.

From In the Wilds of Africa by Alfred Pearse

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023