spurge

[ spurj ]

/ spɜrdʒ /

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noun

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

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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

Words nearby spurge

spunware, spun yarn, spur, spur blight, spur gall, spurge, spur gear, spur gearing, spurge family, spurge laurel, Spurgeon

How to use spurge in a sentence

Dog-violets, barren strawberry, and the yellowish-green spurge are in flower there now.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
The milky juice of the common cypress spurge (Euphorbia Cyparissias) will cure warts.
Current Superstitions|Various
The spurge plants were long ago covered up by drifting sand, and the caterpillars were all destroyed.
Devonshire|Francis A. Knight
Certain vegetable juices have also been recommended for the same purpose; as spurge and acacia.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

This is the case with the spurge-feeding D. Euphorbi, so common in many parts of Germany.
Studies in the Theory of Descent (Volumes 1 and 2)|August Weismann

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