loosestrife

American  

[loos-strahyf] / ˈlusˌstraɪf /

noun

1. any of various plants belonging to the genus Lysimachia, of the primrose family, having clusters of usually yellow flowers, as L. vulgaris garden loosestrife or L. quadrifolia whorled loosestrife.

2. any of several plants belonging to the genus Lythrum, of the loosestrife family.

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loosestrife British  

/ ˈluːsˌstraɪf /

noun

1. any of various primulaceous plants of the genus Lysimachia, esp the yellow-flowered L. vulgaris ( yellow loosestrife ) See also moneywort

2. a purple-flowered lythraceous marsh plant, Lythrum salicaria

3. any of several similar or related plants, such as the primulaceous plant Naumburgia thyrsiflora ( tufted loosestrife )

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Etymology

Origin of loosestrife

1540–50; loose (v.) + strife, mistranslation of Latin lȳsimachīa (< Greek lȳsimáchei ( os ) + -a feminine noun suffix; lysi-, -machy ), plant said to be named after a certain Lysímachos; -ia

Example Sentences

A single occurrence of, say, purple loosestrife, does not an invasion make.

From Science Daily • Dec. 5, 2023

However, every plant depicted, from purple loosestrife to wild roses, is the product of more than three months of painstaking observation as Millais worked on the banks of the Hogsmill River in Surrey.

From Nature • Oct. 23, 2018

Purple loosestrife, an attractive flowering invasive introduced in North America from Europe, has been crowding out native species for something like two centuries.

From Washington Times • Jul. 18, 2015

Examples include the introduction of Caulerpa taxifolia into the Mediterranean, the introduction of oat species into the California grasslands, and the introduction of privet, kudzu, and purple loosestrife to North America.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Between them and the stream itself stood half-grown clumps of purple loosestrife and fleabane, which would not flower for nearly two months yet.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams