spurge

[ spurj ]

/ spɜrdʒ /

noun

any of numerous plants of the genus Euphorbia, having a milky juice and flowers with no petals or sepals.

Nearby words

spur on, spur track, spur veins, spur wheel, spur-of-the-moment, spurge, spurge family, spurge laurel, spurgeon, spurious, spurious ankylosis

Compare spurge family.

Origin of spurge

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French espurge, noun derivative of espurgier to cleanse < Latin expurgāre. See ex-¹, purge

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

Examples from the Web for spurge

Such is the case with the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, or spurge family, to which the tallow-tree of China belongs.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 436|Various
The spurge is poisonous to man; but the caterpillar finds it a wholesome nourishment.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
This caterpillar is almost always found on the Cyprus-leafed spurge.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier
There are caterpillars which eat the leaves of the Euphorbia, or spurge, for instance.
The Insect World|Louis Figuier

Bitter as spurge was that old story of hers now, and bitterer still the only moral lesson it now appeared to her to have.
The Story of Louie|Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for spurge

spurge

/ (spɜːdʒ) /

noun

any of various euphorbiaceous plants of the genus Euphorbia that have milky sap and small flowers typically surrounded by conspicuous bracts. Some species have purgative properties

Word Origin for spurge

C14: from Old French espurge, from espurgier to purge, from Latin expurgāre to cleanse, from ex- 1 + purgāre to purge

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