motherwort

[ muhth -er-wurt, -wawrt ]

/ ˈmʌð ərˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

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.

Words nearby motherwort

motherland, motherless, motherly, motherwell, motherwell and wishaw, motherwort, mothproof, mothy, moti, motif, motile

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for motherwort

Thus the people ascribe to the Motherwort the property of prolonging life.
Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics|Richard Folkard
Page 383, "motherworth and Virginia creeper" was changed to read "motherwort and Virginia creeper."
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets|Various

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