swallowwort

American

[swol-oh-wurt, -wawrt] / ˈswɒl oʊˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

celandine.
any of several plants of the milkweed family, especially a climbing vine, Cynanchum nigrum black swallowwort, native to Europe, having small, brownish flowers.

swallowwort British

/ ˈswɒləʊˌwɜːt /

noun

any of several Eurasian vines of the genus Cynanchum, esp C. nigrum, having small brownish-purple flowers: family Asclepiadaceae
a related European herbaceous plant, Vincetoxicum officinale (or Cynanchum vincetoxicum ), having an emetic root
another name for greater celandine

"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

Etymology

Origin of swallowwort

First recorded in 1540–50; swallow ² + wort ²

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.

Around this time on a recent Thursday, a dozen people clustered on one side of the falls, along two ledges that were blanketed in snakeroot, yellow jewelweed, spotted Joe-Pye weed and pale swallowwort.

From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023