polygala

American  

[puh-lig-uh-luh] / pəˈlɪg ə lə /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Polygala, comprising the milkworts.

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polygala British  

/ pəˈlɪɡələ /

noun

1. any herbaceous plant or small shrub of the polygalaceous genus Polygala See also milkwort

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Other Word Forms

• polygalaceous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of polygala

1570–80; < New Latin, genus name, special use of Latin polygala, for Greek polýgalon milkwort, literally, something very milky, equivalent to poly- poly- + -galon, derivative of gála milk; see galacto-

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polygala

A teeny green perennial herb called Polygala smallii, or tiny polygala, poked out from beneath my hiking boot.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 7, 2023

The spring-beauty, the painted trillium, the fringed polygala, the showy lady's-slipper, are all more striking to look upon, but they do not quite touch the heart; they lack the soul that perfume suggests.

From The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers by John Burroughs

But the polygala is quite inodorous, while the guaco gives forth a strong aromatic smell, resembling valerian.

From The Quadroon Adventures in the Far West by Mayne Reid

Youth, after all, is a shamefaced and secretive season; like the fringed polygala, it hides its real blossom underground.

From Little Rivers; a book of essays in profitable idleness by Henry Van Dyke

Silver birch and black With the selfsame spice Found in polygala root and rind, Sassafras, fern, benzöine, Mouse-ear, cowslip, wintergreen, Which by aroma may compel The frost to spare, what scents so well.

From Poems Household Edition by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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