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Glite Dictionary
thoroughwort

thoroughwort

9.9
A perennial herb with white flowers used in traditional medicine
  • noun
  • /ˈθɜroʊˌwɔrt/
  • US
: hierba de la fiebre
  • Native Americans traditionally used thoroughwort in remedies for fevers and colds.

Examples

  • The meadow was dotted with blooming thoroughwort among other wildflowers.

  • Botanists studied the medicinal properties of thoroughwort in the region's wetlands.

  • The thoroughwort blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • I found some thoroughworts growing near the riverbank.

  • Botanists studied the medicinal properties of thoroughwort in the region's wetlands.

  • Native Americans traditionally used thoroughwort in remedies for fevers and colds.

  • The meadow was dotted with blooming thoroughwort among other wildflowers.

Synonyms

boneset
vsthoroughwort
  • US
1 9.9

A North American plant that grows every year with clusters of white flowers used in traditional medicine

is narrower in geographic scope, used mainly in the southeastern United States
Eupatorium perfoliatum
vsthoroughwort
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A North American herb with groups of small white flowers that people use in folk medicine and call boneset

is the common, nonscientific name used in a narrower southeastern area
agueweed
vsthoroughwort
  • US
9.9

A wild plant of the southeastern United States with white, daisy-like flowers once used in folk medicine

is the same in meaning but functions as an alternative common name

Surface Forms

thoroughwort singular
thoroughworts plural

Morphology

thoroughwort = thorough + wort (opaque) = thorough + wort

Although analyzable as 'thorough' + 'wort', 'wort' is archaic and the compound is an arbitrary plant name, so learners cannot reliably derive the sense.

Etymology

Thoroughwort comes from the old name for a plant whose stem looks like it goes 'through' the leaf; the name breaks into through and wort, where wort means 'plant'. So thoroughwort is a fitting name for this herb once used in folk medicine.