bugbane

[buhg-beyn]

bug·bane

[buhg-beyn]
noun
any of several tall, erect plants belonging to the genus Cimicifuga, of the buttercup family, as C. americana, of the eastern U.S., having loose, elongated clusters of white flowers.

Origin:
1795–1805; bug1 + bane; so called because it supposedly repels insects
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bugbane

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Bugbane is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
bugbane (ˈbʌɡˌbeɪn)
 
n
any of several ranunculaceous plants of the genus Cimicifuga, esp C. foetida of Europe, whose flowers are reputed to repel insects

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

bugbane

any of about 15 species of tall perennial herb constituting the genus Cimicifuga of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) native to North Temperate woodlands. They are said to put bugs to flight by the rustling of their dried seed heads

Learn more about bugbane with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT