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Glite Dictionary
blue cohosh

blue cohosh

9.9
A tall plant with blue berries and thick roots once used as medicine
  • noun
  • /bluː ˈkoʊhɑːʃ/
  • US
translation icon : cohosh azul
  • Herbalists sometimes caution against the use of blue cohosh due to its potential side effects.

Examples

  • We spotted a patch of blue cohosh growing along the shady forest floor.

  • The blue cohosh plant thrives in shaded areas.

  • The roots of blue cohosh were once used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments.

  • I found some blue cohosh growing near the river.

  • The herbalist recommended blue cohosh for its medicinal properties in treating women's health issues.

  • In the forest, we found the tall blue cohosh, known for its striking blue berries and thick roots.

  • During our hike, we spotted blue cohosh growing near the stream, a plant often used in traditional remedies.

Synonyms

Caulophyllum thalictroides
vsblue cohosh
  • Specialized
9.9

Tall forest herb with blue berries and thick roots once used in traditional medicine

is the common name rather than the Latin name
Caulophyllum thalictrioides
vsblue cohosh
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall woodland plant with blue berries and a thick root once used in medicine

is the common name form rather than a Latin variant
papoose root
vsblue cohosh
  • US
9.9

A tall plant with blue berries and a thick root used as medicine

is the general herb term without specifying perennial growth
papooseroot
vsblue cohosh
  • US
9.9

A tall plant that lives many years and has blue berries and thick knotted roots once used as medicine

is the spaced or usual common name form rather than the single-word form
squawroot
vsblue cohosh
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall plant from eastern North America and Asia with blue berries and a thick root used as medicine

is the different common name used in other contexts
squaw root
vsblue cohosh
  • NSFW
9.9

A tall herb with blue berries and a thick knotty root once used as medicine

is the one-word common name form rather than the spaced variant
blueberry root
vsblue cohosh
  • US
7.7

A thick root from the blueberry plant once used in traditional medicine

is the herb term emphasizing botanical identity rather than a general plant label

Surface Forms

blue cohosh singular
blue cohoshes plural

Morphology

blue + cohosh

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'blue' simply modifies 'cohosh' to indicate a blue-fruited/blue-associated variety of the plant. A B1 learner who knows 'blue' and understands 'cohosh' as an herb would readily infer this meaning, since adjective + noun plant names are a transparent, cross-linguistic pattern.

Etymology

Blue cohosh may come from its blue, berry-like fruit and a Native American word cohosh for plants with rough, knotty roots that were used as medicine. So the name points to a plant with blue berries and a thick root used as 'medicine'.