sweet flag

noun

a plant, Acorus calamus, of the arum family, having long, sword-shaped leaves and a pungent, aromatic rootstock.

Origin of sweet flag

First recorded in 1775–85

Also called sweet calamus.

Words Nearby sweet flag

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sweet flag in a sentence

sweet flag was abundant, and close by grew a clump of dark green, spicy mint.
Followers of the Trail | Zoe Meyer
They picked some tall blue too, and pulled sweet-flag to eat.
Mary's Little Lamb | Edith Francis Foster
There, close to the window, hangs a sprig of sweet-flag, banishing all evil.
The Old House and Other Tales | Feodor Sologub
Sweet-Flag deteriorates with age and is subject to the attacks of worms.
Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants | A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
It resembles sweet-flag (Calamus) and has been mistaken for it.
Ginseng and Other Medicinal Plants | A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding

British Dictionary definitions for sweet flag

sweet flag

noun

an aroid marsh plant, Acorus calamus, having swordlike leaves, small greenish flowers, and aromatic roots: Also called: calamus

Origin of sweet flag

C18: see flag ²

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

Browse