scurvy grass

American  

noun

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

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scurvy grass British  

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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Etymology

Origin of scurvy grass

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scurvy grass

The Resolution escaped the scourge, owing to the precautions from which Cook never departed for a single day, and the example which he himself set of constantly eating celery and scurvy grass.

From Celebrated Travels and Travellers Part 2. The Great Navigators of the Eighteenth Century by Benett, Léon

Nearby was Agua Escorbada, where scurvy grass probably was found.

From Mormon Settlement in Arizona A Record of Peaceful Conquest of the Desert by McClintock, James H.

Led by the doctor, Brown, Jim, and I started to explore the neighbourhood, to collect scurvy grass or roots of any sort which might serve as vegetables.

From Peter Trawl The Adventures of a Whaler by Durden, James

The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

From The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 3 by Poe, Edgar Allan

Under ordinary circumstances he would merely have had to drive away feathered pilferers, such as guillemots or puffins, from his sorrel and scurvy grass.

From The Fur Country Seventy Degrees North Latitude by D'Anvers, N.