milkwort

noun

milk·​wort ˈmilk-ˌwərt How to pronounce milkwort (audio)
-ˌwȯrt
: any of a genus (Polygala of the family Polygalaceae, the milkwort family) of herbs and shrubs often having showy flowers with three sometimes crested petals united below into a tube and an irregular calyx with two petaloid sepals

Illustration of milkwort

Illustration of milkwort

Examples of milkwort in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plants used: Pygmy date palms, a queen palm, a kentia palm, Silver Carpet (Dymondia margaretae), statice (Limonium sinuatum), lavender (lavandula), lantana, red Clivia, senna, myrtle leaf milkwort (Polygala myrtifolia), and African lily (Agapanthus). Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2022 The base, like that of the sand milkwort seed, holds a tip that lures ants. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 Interspersed are lavender bushes, myrtle leaf milkwort, and Agapanthus. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of milkwort was in 1578

Dictionary Entries Near milkwort

Cite this Entry

“Milkwort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milkwort. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

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