swallowwort

[ swol-oh-wurt, -wawrt ]

/ ˈswɒl oʊˌwɜrt, -ˌwɔrt /

noun

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

Words nearby swallowwort

swallow-tailed coat, swallow-tailed kite, swallow-tanager, swallowing reflex, swallowtail, swallowwort, swam, swami, swammerdam, swamp, swamp andromeda

Origin of swallowwort

First recorded in 1540–50; swallow² + wort²

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

British Dictionary definitions for swallowwort

swallowwort

/ (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

Word Origin for swallowwort

C16: so called because the shape of its pod is reminiscent of a flying swallow

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