milkwort

American  

[milk-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈmɪlkˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

1. any plant or shrub of the genus Polygala, formerly supposed to increase the secretion of milk.

2. sea milkwort.

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milkwort British  

/ ˈmɪlkˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Polygala, having small blue, pink, or white flowers with two petal-like sepals: family Polygalaceae. They were formerly believed to increase milk production in cows See also senega

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Etymology

Origin of milkwort

First recorded in 1570–80; milk + wort ²

Example Sentences

A total of 1,245 self-sown Kentish milkwort plants have been recorded at Queendown Warren, near Sittingbourne in Kent – the largest population of the species in the UK.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

On the verge of extinction, Kentish milkwort became the focus of urgent conservation action in 2013.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

“Beetle, I must to the miller to have my oats ground to flour. Crush the bitter milkwort and boil the wormwood syrup while I am gone.”

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

She found that mouse ear and willow can help stop bleeding and that a tea of anise and dill and bitter milkwort will help when milk will not come.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

Polygalace�, pol-i-gā-lā′sē-ē, n.pl. an order of polypetalous plants—the milkwort family.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various