toothwort

[tooth-wurt, -wawrt]

noun

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

First recorded in 1590–1600; tooth + wort²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for toothwort

Historical Examples of toothwort

The botanists call it the toothwort (Dentaria), also pepper-root.
A Year in the Fields
John Burroughs
The roots are of singular form, almost like human teeth, arranged as scales, whence the name Toothwort.
Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers
John Wood
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 Elliot
Parasitic on the roots of the hazel is found the curious leafless Lathraea Squamaria or toothwort.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 1
Various

British Dictionary definitions for toothwort

toothwort

noun

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