soapwort

[ sohp-wurt, -wawrt ]

/ ˈsoʊpˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

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See synonyms for: soapwort / soapworts on Thesaurus.com

noun

a plant, Saponaria officinalis, of the pink family, whose leaves are used for cleansing.

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Also called bouncing Bet, bouncing Bess.

Origin of soapwort

First recorded in 1540–50; soap + wort²

Words nearby soapwort

soap pad, soap plant, soap powder, soapstone, soapsuds, soapwort, soapy, soar, soaraway, Soares, soaring

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use soapwort in a sentence

Polypetalous corolla of Soapwort, of five petals with long claws or stalk-like bases.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Unguiculate petals are universal and strongly marked in the Pink tribe, as in Soapwort (Fig. 248).
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Other sapotoxins are obtained from the roots of soapwort and from several species of Gypsophila.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
The Soapwort comes to us from Europe, where in some localities it is a common wild flower.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 2 [February 1902]|Various

The plant commonly called Soapwort or Bouncing Bet also bears other popular names, many of which are purely local.
Birds and Nature Vol. 11 No. 2 [February 1902]|Various

British Dictionary definitions for soapwort

soapwort

/ (ˈsəʊpˌwɜːt) /

noun

a Eurasian caryophyllaceous plant, Saponaria officinalis, having rounded clusters of fragrant pink or white flowers and leaves that were formerly used as a soap substituteAlso called: bouncing Bet

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