Sparrowwort
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An evergreen shrub, Erica passerina. uncountable
- 2 Any plant in the genus Passerina. uncountable
"A compound of galanga, cubebs, sparrow wort, cardamoms, nutmeg, gillyflowers, Indian thistle, laurel seeds, cloves, Persian pepper is made into a drink. Taken twice daily morning and night, in pigeon or fowl broth, preceded and followed by eater. The result, according to Arab tradition, is an effective aphrodisiac."
- 3 Any plant in the genus Thymelaea. uncountable
Example
More examples"A compound of galanga, cubebs, sparrow wort, cardamoms, nutmeg, gillyflowers, Indian thistle, laurel seeds, cloves, Persian pepper is made into a drink. Taken twice daily morning and night, in pigeon or fowl broth, preceded and followed by eater. The result, according to Arab tradition, is an effective aphrodisiac."
Etymology
From sparrow + wort.
More for "sparrowwort"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.