scammony

[ skam-uh-nee ]

/ ˈskæm ə ni /

noun, plural scam·mo·nies.

a twining, Asian convolvulus, Convolvulus scammonia.

Nearby words

scam, scamander, scambaiting, scamillus, scammer, scammony, scamp, scamper, scampi, scamster, scamto

Origin of scammony

before 1000; Middle English scamonie, Old English < Latin scamōnia < Greek skamōnía

Related forms

scam·mo·ni·ate

[ska-moh-nee-it] /skæˈmoʊ ni ɪt/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scammony

The lumbrici are destroyed by repeated doses of calomel and scammony.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale
It appears to be intermediate in its action between aloes and scammony.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
This having no effect, I subsequently prescribed aloes and assaftida pills, followed by scammony mixture.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
Thus Scammony does not act so well, and does not gripe, when the bowels are lined with mucus.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland

Jalapin or scammonin, C34H56O16, occurs in scammony; it hydrolyses to glucose and jalapinolic acid.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for scammony

scammony

/ (ˈskæmənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

a twining Asian convolvulus plant, Convolvulus scammonia, having arrow-shaped leaves, white or purple flowers, and tuberous roots

a resinous juice obtained from the roots of this plant and having purgative properties

any of various similar medicinal resins or the plants that yield them

Derived Forms

scammoniate (skæˈməʊnɪɪt), adjective

Word Origin for scammony

Old English, via Latin from Greek skammōnia, of obscure origin

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