goldthread

[ gohld-thred ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a white-flowered plant, Coptis trifolia, of the buttercup family, having a slender, yellow root that is sometimes used as a tonic.

goldthread

/ ˈɡəʊldˌθrɛd /

a North American woodland ranunculaceous plant, Coptis trifolia (or C. groenlandica ), with slender yellow roots
the root of this plant, which yields a medicinal tonic and a dye

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; gold + thread

What could be more unassuming than goldthread and wood-sorrel?

Goldthread was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1880.

It is also applied to the stalk or petiole of a carpel, in the rare cases when there is any, as in Goldthread.

Story-'n'-a-half house, a good sullar, an' woods nigh-by full o' sarsaparilla an' goldthread!

I'm goin' into the pines arter some goldthread an' sarsaparil'.

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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