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cloveroot

cloveroot

9.9
A hairy plant from Europe and Asia with small yellow flowers and a root used long ago in medicine
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : raíz de trébol
  • The astringent root of the cloveroot was once used in various herbal medicines.

Examples

  • The fields were dotted with patches of cloveroot in full bloom.

  • Traditional remedies sometimes called for dried cloveroot as an ingredient.

  • Early herbalists believed that cloveroot could be used to treat digestive issues.

  • The cloveroot has many medicinal properties.

  • I found a cloveroot in the garden yesterday.

  • Early herbalists believed that cloveroot could be used to treat digestive issues.

  • Traditional remedies sometimes called for dried cloveroot as an ingredient.

Synonyms

clover-root
vscloveroot
  • Literature
9.9

A hairy plant from Europe and Asia with small yellow flowers and a root used in old medicines

is written as one single word rather than hyphenated
Geum urbanum
vscloveroot
  • Specialized
9.9

A small hairy plant from Europe and Asia with yellow flowers and a root once used in medicine

is the common vernacular name rather than the Latin scientific form
herb bennet
vscloveroot
  • UK
9.9

A hairy wild plant with small yellow flowers and a bitter root used long ago as medicine

does not state that the plant is perennial in its description
wood avens
vscloveroot
  • UK
9.9

A small wild plant with hairy stems and yellow flowers that grows in shady woods

describes general hairiness and omits the parenthetical scientific name

Surface Forms

cloveroot singular
cloveroots plural

Morphology

cloveroot = clover + root (semi-transparent) = clover + root

The compound 'clover' + 'root' is recognizable, but the specific botanical name and the orthographic assimilation (single 'r' in 'cloveroot') make the relation only partly clear to learners.

Etymology

Cloveroot can be remembered as clover + root: people named the plant this because its small yellow flowers and leaves look a little like clover and its strong, bitter root was used in old medicine. So, the name points to a plant that looks like clover and is known for its medicinal root.