white sage
Americannoun
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Also called greasewood. a shrubby plant, Salvia apiana, of the mint family, native to southern California, having white, hairy foliage and spikes of white or pale lavender flowers.
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an aromatic, composite plant, Artemisia ludoviciana, of western North America, having leaves with a downy white undersurface.
Etymology
Origin of white sage
An Americanism dating back to 1865–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Club regular Juno Stilley sat inside with the seed-sorters, grinding white sage between her fingers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
The lyrics, mostly written by Sanchez, can be biting at times, as in “PSA,” a hard-driving song about white sage poaching.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
There are plenty of alternatives to white sage.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2024
While California white sage is currently not on the endangered list, picking white sage on public land is illegal but continues.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2024
There are the white sage, a good forage plant for sheep, and the yellow sage, which, when properly taken, can be made useful for cattle.
From Trail Tales by James David Gillilan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
