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St. John's wort

American  
[saynt-jonz wurt, wawrt] / ˌseɪntˈdʒɒnz ˌwɜrt, ˌwɔrt /
St. John's Wort,

noun

  1. any of various plants or shrubs of the genus Hypericum, having yellow flowers and transparently dotted leaves.


Etymology

Origin of St. John's wort

First recorded in 1745–55; so named because it was traditionally gathered on St. John's Eve to ward off evil


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A solitary figure who preferred working alone and needed large doses of St. John’s wort to get through days when his studio buzzed with people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025

St. John’s wort can also interact with many other medicines to reduce their effectiveness.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2021

He went on to list some of the supplements that haven’t shown benefits in trials: turmeric, St. John’s wort, ginkgo, echinacea.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2020

Next year, a naturalist will lead workshops for residents on how to use its St. John’s wort and other plants for homeopathic remedies and tonics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2018

The elder was invested with similar properties, which seem to have been more potent than even those attributed to the St. John's wort.

From The Folk-lore of Plants by T. F. Thiselton (Thomas Firminger Thiselton) Dyer

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