saxifrage

American  

[sak-suh-frij] / ˈsæk sə frɪdʒ /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Saxifraga, certain species of which grow wild in the clefts of rocks, other species of which are cultivated for their flowers.

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saxifrage British  

/ ˈsæksɪˌfreɪdʒ /

noun

1. any saxifragaceous plant of the genus Saxifraga, characterized by smallish white, yellow, purple, or pink flowers

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Etymology

Origin of saxifrage

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin saxifraga ( herba ) stone-breaking (herb), equivalent to saxi-, combining form of saxum stone + -fraga, feminine of -fragus breaking; see fragile

Example Sentences

Digging, he hits rock: “That’s OK - in Latin saxifrage means rock-breaker.”

From BBC • May 24, 2024

Retail prices range from $19.50 an ounce for common native grasses to $443.63 for harder-to-grow species such as wholeleaf saxifrage and Henderson’s shooting star.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2023

Springy moss, purple and yellow saxifrage, and a type of buttercup stay within centimetres of the ground.

From The Guardian • Jul. 28, 2018

There is a long chapter on the study of heredity in British plants discussing celandines, poppies, watercress, violets, pansies, campions, clovers, vetch, trefoil, raspberry, blackberry, saxifrage.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2013

And in confirmation, a little Arctic flower, a purple saxifrage, blossomed improbably where the witch had planted it as a signal in a cranny of the rock.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman