Adjacent Words

Turnsole definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TURN'SOLE, n. [turn and L. sol, the sun.] A plant of the genus Heliotropium, so named because its flower is supposed to turn towards the sun.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. any of various plants supposed to turn with the sun. Etymology: OF tournesole f. Prov. tournasol f. L tornare TURN + sol sun

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Turnsole Turn"sole`, n. [F. tournesol, It. tornasole; tornare to turn (LL. tornare) + sole the sun, L. sol. See Turn, Solar, a., and cf. Heliotrope.] [Written also turnsol.] 1. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Heliotropium; heliotrope; -- so named because its flowers are supposed to turn toward the sun. (b) The sunflower. (c) A kind of spurge (Euphorbia Helioscopia). (d) The euphorbiaceous plant Chrozophora tinctoria. 2. (Chem.) (a) Litmus. [Obs.] (b) A purple dye obtained from the plant turnsole. See def. 1 (d) .

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heliotrope He"li*o*trope, n. [F. h['e]liotrope, L. heliotropium, Gr. ?; ? the sun + ? to turn, ? turn. See Heliacal, Trope.] 1. (Anc. Astron.) An instrument or machine for showing when the sun arrived at the tropics and equinoctial line. 2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Heliotropium; -- called also turnsole and girasole. H. Peruvianum is the commonly cultivated species with fragrant flowers. 3. (Geodesy & Signal Service) An instrument for making signals to an observer at a distance, by means of the sun's rays thrown from a mirror. 4. (Min.) See Bloodstone (a) . Heliotrope purple, a grayish purple color.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Heliotrope. 2. Litmus.