tormentil

American  

[tawr-men-til] / ˈtɔr mɛn tɪl /

noun

1. a low European plant, Potentilla erecta, of the rose family, having small, bright-yellow flowers, and a strongly astringent root used in medicine and in tanning and dyeing.

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tormentil British  

/ ˈtɔːməntɪl /

noun

1. Also called: bloodroot.  a rosaceous downy perennial plant, Potentilla erecta, of Europe and W Asia, having serrated leaves, four-petalled yellow flowers, and an astringent root used in medicine, tanning, and dyeing

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Etymology

Origin of tormentil

1350–1400; Middle English tormentille < Medieval Latin tormentilla, equivalent to Latin torment ( um ) torment + -illa diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

Scabious, Wood-betony, Brown-mayweed, Mints, Avence, Tormentil, Carduus benedictus, and Rosemary as much as of anything else, and Angelica if you will.

From The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened by MacDonell, Anne

With Tormentil, Archangel, and various forms of Dead-nettle, we find only Badman's Posies and Rabbits'-meat.

From Society for Pure English, Tract 05 The Englishing of French Words; the Dialectal Words in Blunden's Poems by Society for Pure English

Tormentil, tor′men-til, n. a genus of plants, one species with an astringent woody root.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

A decoction of Tormentil makes a capital gargle, and will heal ulcers of the mouth if used as a wash.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas