barrenwort en · NOUN
Etymology
From barren + wort.
Meanings
-
(uncountable, usually) A herb, Epimedium alpinum, once thought to prevent conception.
“What on earth did you put in that stuff?” “Bug-bane, barren-wort, penny-cress and blood-root, catchfly, toad-flax, nap-weed and wormwood,” said Catweazle.
1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 177:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| barrenworts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |