borage

borage
/bawr"ij, bor"-, berr"-/, n.
1. a plant, Borago officinalis, native to southern Europe, having hairy leaves and stems, used medicinally and in salads. Cf. borage family.
2. any of various allied or similar plants.
[1250-1300; ME burage < AF borage, bo(u)-rache, MF bourage < VL *burrago (LL burra hair stuffing + -go n. suffix)]

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Large hairy annual herb (Borago officinalis), an ornamental species with large, rough, oblong leaves and loose, drooping clusters of starlike blue flowers.

It is a member of the family Boraginaceae, which contains mostly herbs but also some trees and shrubs, all found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate areas and most concentrated in the Mediterranean region. Several other ornamental species are grown in gardens, including the Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica), forget-me-nots, heliotropes, and lungworts (Pulmonaria). Borage is also used as an herbal and bee plant and eaten as a vegetable.

Borage (Borago officinalis).

A to Z Botannical Collection/EB Inc.

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▪ plant
 a 60-centimetre (2-foot), hairy, annual plant with large, rough, oblong leaves and loose, drooping clusters of starlike, bright blue flowers. It belongs to the family Boraginaceae. The five bright yellow stamens form a cone at the star centre. Flowers are sometimes white or rose, and flowering stalks are usually reddish.

      Borage was native to the eastern Mediterranean region and was used by the ancient Greeks. It is cultivated today in various parts of Europe, Great Britain, and North America.

      The leaves of the borage plant have a cool, cucumber-like aroma and taste, and they are rich in calcium and potassium. Leaves and flowers are used in salads, and in Europe the leaves are cooked as a vegetable. Dried or fresh leaves are used to season stews and soups and to flavour wine cups and other drinks. Borage is also grown for bee feeding.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Borage — Bor age, n. [OE. borage (cf. F. bourrache, It. borraggine, borrace, LL. borago, borrago, LGr. ?), fr. LL. borra, F. bourre, hair of beasts, flock; so called from its hairy leaves.] (Bot.) A mucilaginous plant of the genus Borago (B. officinalis) …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • borage — flowering plant used in salads, mid 13c., from Anglo Norm., from O.Fr. borage (13c., Mod.Fr. bourrache), from M.L. borrago. Klein says this is ultimately from Arabic abu arak, lit. the father of sweat, so called by Arab physicians for its effect… …   Etymology dictionary

  • borage — [bʉr′ij, bôr′ij] n. [ME < OFr bourage < ML borrago, burrago; said to be < Ar abū ʼarak, “father of sweat,” from diaphoretic use of the plant] any of a genus (Borago) of plants of the borage family, esp. an annual ( B. officinalis) with… …   English World dictionary

  • borage — ► NOUN ▪ a herbaceous plant with bright blue flowers and hairy leaves. ORIGIN Latin borrago, perhaps from an Arabic word meaning «father of roughness» (referring to the leaves) …   English terms dictionary

  • Borage — Taxobox name = Borage image width = 240px image caption = Borage flower regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo = Lamiales familia = Boraginaceae genus = Borago species = B. officinalis binomial = Borago officinalis… …   Wikipedia

  • borage — vaistinė agurklė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Agurklinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, prieskoninis, vaistinis, medingas nuodingas augalas (Borago officinalis), paplitęs šiaurės Afrikoje, vakarų Azijoje, pietų Europoje. Iš jo gaminami maisto… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • borage — noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French bourage, from Medieval Latin borrago, probably from Arabic dialect *bū‘araq, alteration of Arabic abū ‘araq, literally, source of sweat; from its use as a diaphoretic Date: 14th century a coarse… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Borage — An herb, also known as the starflower, that has long been used for medicinal purposes. Borage contains a substance called gamma linolenic acid which, it is thought, may inhibit the spread of tumors by restricting the growth of their blood vessels …   Medical dictionary

  • borage — bor|age [ bɔrıdʒ ] noun uncount a plant with rough leaves used for giving a fresh flavor to food. Borage is an herb …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • borage — [13] The plant name borage comes via Old French bourrache from Latin borrāgo. Various words have been advanced as an ultimate source, including late Latin burra ‘shaggy cloth’, on account of its hairy leaves, but in view of the fact that the… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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