hound's-tongue

American  

[houndz-tuhng] / ˈhaʊndzˌtʌŋ /

noun

1. any of various plants belonging to the genus Cynoglossum, of the borage family, especially C. officinale, having coarse, tongue-shaped leaves, dull purple flowers, and prickly nutlets.

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hound's-tongue British  

noun

1. Also called: dog's-tongue.  any boraginaceous weedy plant of the genus Cynoglossum, esp the Eurasian C. officinale, which has small reddish-purple flowers and spiny fruits

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Etymology

Origin of hound's-tongue

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hundestunge, translation of Latin cynoglōssos < Greek kynóglōssos, kynóglōsson (adj.) literally, dog-tongued

Example Sentences

Toothed medick has never officially been recorded in Wales, and hound's-tongue is on the UK's red list and has only been recorded 18 times in Denbighshire in the last 116 years.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2021

In a report to a council scrutiny committee meeting, officers said there had been common spotted orchids in Stryd y Brython, as well as hound's-tongue and toothed medick at two sites in Prestatyn.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2021

In the olden times a superstition was rife that if a person laid the hound's-tongue beneath his feet it would prevent dogs from barking at him.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

The old man mumbled and muttered, fussing about among the boxes until he found a full suit of silver-gray, silken stockings, and hound's-tongue shoes to match.

From The Maid-At-Arms by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)

Among the first plants to respond to the quickening influence of the early winter rains, is the hound's-tongue, whose large, pointed leaves begin to push their way aboveground usually in January.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth