saxifrage
[ sak-suh-frij ]
noun
any plant of the genus Saxifraga, certain species of which grow wild in the clefts of rocks, other species of which are cultivated for their flowers.
Origin of saxifrage
11400–50; late Middle English <Latin saxifraga (herba) stone-breaking (herb), equivalent to saxi-, combining form of saxum stone + -fraga, feminine of -fragus breaking; see fragile
- Compare saxifrage family.
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British Dictionary definitions for saxifrage
saxifrage
/ (ˈsæksɪˌfreɪdʒ) /
noun
any saxifragaceous plant of the genus Saxifraga, characterized by smallish white, yellow, purple, or pink flowers
Origin of saxifrage
1C15: from Late Latin saxifraga, literally: rock-breaker (probably alluding to its ability to dissolve kidney stones), from Latin saxum rock + frangere to break
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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