lousewort

[lous-wurt, -wawrt]

noun

any plant belonging to the genus Pedicularis, of the figwort family, as the wood betony, formerly supposed to cause lice in sheep feeding on it: one species, P. furbishiae (Furbish lousewort), of parts of Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, having finely toothed leaves and a cluster of yellow flowers, is endangered and was thought to be extinct until specimens were discovered in 1946 and again in 1976.

Origin of lousewort

First recorded in 1570–80; louse + wort²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lousewort

Historical Examples of lousewort

The flowers of this Lousewort are yellowish and occur in crowded heads on low spreading stems, 4-6 in.
Flowers of Mountain and Plain
Edith S. Clements
The Lousewort is a small plant and does not rise very far above the ground.
Flowers Shown to the Children
C. E. Smith
The stem of the Lousewort is hairy, and the leaves grow very close to it.
Flowers Shown to the Children
C. E. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for lousewort

lousewort

noun

any of various N temperate scrophulariaceous plants of the genus Pedicularis, having spikes of white, yellow, or mauve flowersSee also betony (def. 3)

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