Adjacent Words

Spurge definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPURGE, n. [L.] A plant of the genus Euphorbia.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of numerous plants of the genus Euphorbia; usually having milky often poisonous juice

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French espurge, spurge, from espurger to clean out, purge, from Latin expurgare — more at expurgate Date: 14th century any of a family (Euphorbiaceae) of widely distributed herbs, shrubs, and trees often with a bitter milky juice; especially euphorbia

Britannica Concise

One of the largest flowering-plant genera (Euphorbia), with more than 1,600 species. It takes its common name from a group of annual herbs used as purgatives, or spurges. Many spurges are important as ornamentals or as sources of drugs; many others are weeds. One of the best-known is the poinsettia. Euphorbia is part of the family Euphorbiaceae, which contains about 7,500 species of flowering annual and perennial herbs and woody shrubs or trees in 275 genera; most are found in temperate and tropical regions. Flowers usually lack petals; those of Euphorbia are borne in cup-shaped clusters. The fruit is a capsule. Leaves are usually simple. The stems of many species contain a milky latex. In addition to Euphorbia, economically important family members include the castor-oil plant, croton, cassava, and rubber tree.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any plant of the genus Euphorbia, exuding an acrid milky juice once used medicinally as a purgative. Phrases and idioms: spurge laurel any shrub of the genus Daphne, esp. D. laureola, with small yellow flowers. Etymology: ME f. OF espurge f. espurgier f. L expurgare (as EX-(1), PURGE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spurge Spurge, n. [OF. espurge, F. ['e]purge, from OF. espurgier to purge, L. expurgare. See Expurgate, Purge.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Euphorbia. See Euphorbia. Spurge flax, an evergreen shrub (Daphne Gnidium) with crowded narrow leaves. It is native of Southern Europe. Spurge laurel, a European shrub (Daphne Laureola) with oblong evergreen leaves. Spurge nettle. See under Nettle. Spurge olive, an evergreen shrub (Daphne oleoides) found in the Mediterranean region.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Spurge Spurge, v. t. [Etymol. uncertain.] To emit foam; to froth; -- said of the emission of yeast from beer in course of fermentation. [Obs.] --W. Cartright.