horse gentian

American

noun

any weedy North American plant of the genus Triosteum, of the honeysuckle family, especially T. perfoliatum, having stalkless leaves and purplish-brown flowers and bearing orange fruits.

horse gentian British

noun

Also called: feverwort. any caprifoliaceous plant of the genus Triosteum, of Asia and North America, having small purplish-brown flowers

"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 horse gentian

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

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