horehound or hoarhound (ˈhɔːˌhaʊnd) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | See also black horehound Also called: white horehound a downy perennial herbaceous Old World plant, Marrubium vulgare, with small white flowers that contain a bitter juice formerly used as a cough medicine and flavouring: family Lamiaceae (labiates) |
| 2. | water horehound another name for bugleweed |
| [Old English hārhūne, from hār grey + hūne horehound, of obscure origin] | |
| hoarhound or hoarhound | |
| —n | |
| [Old English hārhūne, from hār grey + hūne horehound, of obscure origin] | |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
horehound
(Marrubium vulgare), bitter perennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae) whose leaves and flowering tops are used as flavouring for beverages and candies and as a traditional medicine. Infusions or extracts of horehound in the form of syrups, beverages, or lozenges are popular in the United States as remedies for coughs and minor pulmonary disturbances. Native to Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia, horehound is naturalized in North America. It is cultivated in Great Britain and is occasionally found as an escape, growing wild on drier soils.
Learn more about horehound with a free trial on Britannica.com.