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scurvy grass

noun
  1. a plant, Cochlearia officinalis, of the mustard family, purported to be a remedy for scurvy.
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Origin of scurvy grass

First recorded in 1590–1600
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for scurvy grass

Historical Examples of scurvy grass

  • Although there was no fresh beef, there was plenty of scurvy-grass and penguins.

    The Phantom Ship

    Frederick Marryat

  • Byron obtained several boatloads of cocoanuts and a large quantity of scurvy-grass.

  • They found a small island covered with scurvy-grass (Cochlearia officinalis) the traditional remedy for this painful affliction.

  • You quite forget the cochlearia, or scurvy-grass, so useful to sailors as a remedy for scurvy?

  • Add to it two ounces of Spirit of Scurvy-grass, and keep it in a bottle, well corked.

    The Toilet of Flora

    Pierre-Joseph Buc'hoz

British Dictionary definitions for scurvy grass

scurvy grass

noun
  1. any of various plants of the genus Cochlearia, esp C. officinalis, of Europe and North America, formerly used to treat scurvy: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
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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