Dictionary

dragonwort en · NOUN

Etymology

From dragon + wort. Compare Middle English dragaunce, dragunce, dragance, dragans (“dragonwort”), from Old French dragonce, dragance, from Medieval Latin draguncia, dragancia (“dragonwort”), disfigured from the plural of dracontium (“dragonwort”), from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion, “dragonwort”).

Meanings

1. Common bistort, a perennial herb of Europe and Asia, of species Bistorta officinalis (syns. Persicaria bistorta, Polygonum bistorta), formerly used as an astringent.
2. Dragon arum, a perennial herb of Greece and the Balkans, of species Dracunculus vulgaris.
3. Tarragon, an edible aromatic herb, of species Artemisia dracunculus, in the daisy family, Asteraceae.
4. Green dragon, of species Arisaema dracontium

Forms

Synonyms

sweet dock (Bistorta officinalis) · adderwort (Bistorta officinalis) · bistort (Bistorta officinalis) · European bistort (Bistorta officinalis) · snakeweed (Bistorta officinalis) · snakeroot (Bistorta officinalis) · snake-root (Bistorta officinalis) · Easter giant (Bistorta officinalis) · red legs (Bistorta officinalis) · patience dock (Bistorta officinalis) · meadow bistort (Bistorta officinalis) · Easter-ledges (Bistorta officinalis)