Withania

noun

Wi·​tha·​nia

wə̇ˈthānēə

: a small genus of Old World tropical shrubs (family Solanaceae) having woolly leaves and clustered bell-shaped flowers with an enlarged fruiting calyx and including one plant (W. coagulans) used in the East Indies as a substitute for rennet in making cheese

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from withan (of unknown origin) + New Latin -ia

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