noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of several plants of Plantago subg. Psyllium. uncountable, usually
2. 2
   plantain of Mediterranean regions whose seeds swell and become gelatinous when moist and are used as a mild laxative wordnet
3. 3
   The seed husk of such plants, especially as a commercial dietary supplement used for mucilage and as a mild laxative. uncountable, usually

Synonyms

All synonyms

fleawortfleawortispaghulaplantago psylliumspanish psyllium

Etymology

From Latin psyllium, from Ancient Greek ψύλλιον (psúllion, “fleawort”), from ψύλλα (psúlla, “flea”) + -ιον (-ion, forming neuter diminutives).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.