spurrey

American  

[spur-ee, spuhr-ee] / ˈspɜr i, ˈspʌr i /

noun

plural

spurries

1. spurry.

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spurrey British  

/ ˈspʌrɪ /

noun

1. any of several low-growing caryophyllaceous plants of the European genus Spergula, esp S. arvensis, having whorled leaves and small white flowers

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Etymology

Origin of spurrey

C16: from Dutch spurrie, perhaps from Medieval Latin spergula; related to German Spergel

Example Sentences

The seeds of Spergula saliva, a large, smooth-seeded variety of the common cow spurrey, which is cultivated in Flanders as a pasture grass and green crop, afford, on expression, a good lamp oil.

From The Commercial Products of the Vegetable Kingdom Considered in Their Various Uses to Man and in Their Relation to the Arts and Manufactures; Forming a Practical Treatise & Handbook of Reference for the Colonist, Manufacturer, Merchant, and Consumer, on the Cultivation, Preparation for Shipment, and Commercial Value, &c. of the Various Substances Obtained From Trees and Plants, Entering into the Husbandry of Tropical and Sub-tropical Regions, &c. by Simmonds, P. L.

Thus in the dry sandy soil you may find broom, spurrey, sheep's fescue, pine trees, all with narrow leaves; whilst on the moister soil you may find burdock, primroses, cocksfoot and other broad-leaved plants.

From Lessons on Soil by Russell, E. J.

Some plants will not tolerate it at all; such are rhododendrons, azaleas, foxgloves, spurrey, and broom; wherever you see these growing you may be sure that lime is absent.

From Lessons on Soil by Russell, E. J.