soapwort

soapwort
/sohp"werrt', -wawrt'/, n.
a plant, Saponaria officinalis, of the pink family, whose leaves are used for cleansing.
Also called bouncing Bet, bouncing Bess.
[1540-50; SOAP + WORT2]

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▪ plant
      any of several plants of the genus Saponaria (about 40 species), in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae). While most are weedy, a few are cultivated, especially the trailing species S. ocymoides, with several varieties having pink to deep-red flower clusters. Bouncing Bet (S. officinalis), reaching to a height of 1 metre (3 feet), is widely naturalized in eastern North America. Its roots have been used medicinally, and its sap is a substitute for soap.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Soapwort — Soap wort , n. (Bot.) A common plant ({Saponaria officinalis}) of the Pink family; so called because its bruised leaves, when agitated in water, produce a lather like that from soap. Called also {Bouncing Bet}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • soapwort — [sōp′wʉrt′] n. any of a genus (Saponaria) of plants of the pink family, with bright, colorful flowers and sap that forms a lather with water, including the bouncing Bet …   English World dictionary

  • soapwort — vaistinis putoklis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Gvazdikinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Saponaria officinalis), paplitęs Europoje ir vakarų Azijoje. atitikmenys: lot. Saponaria officinalis angl. bouncing bet;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • soapwort — putoklis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Gvazdikinių (Caryophyllaceae) šeimos augalų gentis (Saponaria). atitikmenys: lot. Saponaria angl. soaproot; soapwort vok. Hundnelke; Seifenkraut rus. мыльнянка lenk. mydlnica …   Dekoratyvinių augalų vardynas

  • soapwort gentian — noun erect perennial of wet woodlands of North America having leaves and flower buds resembling those of soapwort • Syn: ↑Gentiana saponaria • Hypernyms: ↑gentian * * * noun : an eastern No. American gentian (Gentiana saponaria) whose leaves and… …   Useful english dictionary

  • soapwort — noun Date: circa 1548 bouncing bet …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • soapwort — noun Any perennial herb of the genus Saponaria …   Wiktionary

  • soapwort — noun a plant of the pink family, with fragrant pink or white flowers and leaves that were formerly used to make soap. [Saponaria officinalis.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • soapwort — soap•wort [[t]ˈsoʊpˌwɜrt, ˌwɔrt[/t]] n. pln a plant, Saponaria officinalis, of the pink family, whose leaves are used for cleansing • Etymology: 1540–50 …   From formal English to slang

  • soapwort — /ˈsoʊpwɜt/ (say sohpwert) noun a herb, Saponaria officinalis, whose leaves were formerly used for cleansing. {soap + wort2} …  

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