pilewort

9.9

European wild plant with bright yellow flowers and heart-shaped leaves whose roots are used to treat piles or hemorrhoids

noun

: pila

The roots of pilewort were traditionally used in folk medicine for their soothing properties.

Examples

In spring, the banks of the river were dotted with bright yellow pilewort flowers.
Many herbalists recommend pilewort for treating hemorrhoids.
Botanists studied the spread of pilewort beyond its native range in Europe.
The pilewort is often found in damp woodlands.
Many herbalists recommend pilewort for treating hemorrhoids.
The roots of pilewort were traditionally used in folk medicine for their soothing properties.
In spring, the banks of the river were dotted with bright yellow pilewort flowers.

Synonyms

Ranunculus ficaria

vspilewort

Specialized

9.9

A small wild plant with heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers

is the traditional common name rather than the scientific label

lesser celandine

vspilewort

9.9

A small plant with heart-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers like a buttercup

is focused on use as a poultice to relieve piles

Surface Forms

pilewort singular

pileworts plural

Morphology

pilewort = pile + wort (semi-transparent) = pile + wort

The compound literally means 'plant for treating piles', but 'wort' is archaic and may be unfamiliar to many learners, making the compound only partly transparent.

Etymology

Pilewort is an old compound: pile means 'piles', a medical problem where veins swell, and wort means 'plant', as in St. John's wort. So people named the yellow-flowered plant pilewort because its roots were used to soothe 'piles', which is why the name still shows its use.