toothwort
a European plant, Lathraea squamaria, of the broomrape family, having a rootstock covered with toothlike scales.
Also called pepperroot. any of several plants belonging to the genus Dentaria, of the mustard family, having toothlike projections upon the creeping rootstock.
Origin of toothwort
1Words Nearby toothwort
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use toothwort in a sentence
The toothwort (Lathraea) is so called because its scales have a sort of resemblance to human teeth.
The Romance of Plant Life | G. F. Scott ElliotParasitic on the roots of the hazel is found the curious leafless Lathraea Squamaria or toothwort.
The roots are of singular form, almost like human teeth, arranged as scales, whence the name toothwort.
Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers | John WoodThe botanists call it the toothwort (Dentaria), also pepper-root.
A Year in the Fields | John Burroughs
British Dictionary definitions for toothwort
/ (ˈtuːθˌwɜːt) /
a parasitic European scrophulariaceous plant, Lathraea squamaria, having no green parts, scaly cream or pink stems, pinkish flowers, and a rhizome covered with toothlike scales
any North American or Eurasian plant of the genus Dentaria, having creeping rhizomes covered with toothlike projections: family Brassicaceae (crucifers): See also crinkleroot
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
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