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motherwort

[ muhth-er-wurt, -wawrt ]
/ ˈmʌð ərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /
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noun
a European plant, Leonorus cardiaca, of the mint family, an introduced weed in the U.S., having cut leaves with a whorl of lavender flowers in the axils.
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Origin of motherwort

1350–1400; Middle English moderwort (see mother1, wort2), so called because believed helpful for diseases of the womb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use motherwort in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for motherwort

motherwort
/ (ˈmʌðəˌwɜːt) /

noun
any of several plants of the Eurasian genus Leonurus, esp L. cardiaca, having divided leaves and clusters of small purple or pink flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Word Origin for motherwort

C14: so named because it was thought to be beneficial in uterine disorders
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
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