soapwortn.
/ˈsəʊpwəːt/, U.S. /ˈsoʊpwərt/, /ˈsoʊpˌwɔrt/ 1.
a. One or other of the herbaceous plants belonging to the genus Saponaria, which yield a saponaceous principle; esp. the common species, S. officinalis; also, the genus itself.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > soapwort
boritha1382
crowsoapa1400
saponera1400
foam-dockc1500
fuller's grass1526
saponary1526
scour-wort1548
soapwort1548
mock gillyflower1578
soapwort gentian1578
struthion1587
soap-weed1607
gill-run-by-the-street1640
candify1727
saponaria1865
bouncing-Bet1884
1548 W. Turner Names of Herbes sig. F.vj Radicula..if we had it here,..myghte be called in english sopewurt or skowrwurt.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 359 The stalkes of Sopewoort are slipperie.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole 352 The ordinary Sopeworte or Bruiseworte with single flowers is often planted in Gardens.
1671 W. Salmon Synopsis Medicinæ iii. xxii. 428 Soapwort..heals Cuts,..helps the Stone and Dropsie.
a1689 A. Behn tr. A. Cowley Plants in Wks. (1711) III. iv. 374 Soap-Wort, tho' coarse thy Name, thou dost excel In Form, and art enrich'd with fragrant Smell.
1731 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. I. at Lychnis The Double Sopewort is a Plant of no great Beauty.
1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 3 365 She was farther directed to apply clysters prepared with soap wort.
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 952/2 Saponine,..found likewise in plants belonging to the cloveworts, soapworts, and a few other orders.
b. As a moth-name (see quot. 1832).
ΚΠ
1832 J. Rennie Conspectus Butterflies & Moths Brit. 69 The Soap Wort (Hadena Saponariæ..) appears the middle of July..; feeds on the Saponaria officinalis and other plants.
2. U.S. (See quots.)
ΚΠ
1845–50 A. H. Lincoln Familiar Lect. Bot. (new ed.) App. 162 Saponaria vaccaria, field soap-wort.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Soap-wort, the root of Vaccaria vulgaris, which, like the aril of the soap-berry, contains saponine.
3. Any plant of the order Sapindaceæ.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > plant belonging to
knotworts1845
scleranth1846
soapwort1846
1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom 383 A very general character of the Soapworts is to have their embryo either curved, or twisted spirally.
1876 J. Harley Royle's Man. Materia Med. (ed. 6) 707 Soapworts..are well illustrated in the horse-chestnut.
Compounds
C1. attributive, as soapwort family, soapwort order.
ΚΠ
1849 J. H. Balfour Man. Bot. 381 Sapindaceæ, the Soapwort Family.
1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. ii. iii. 481 Sapindaceæ.—The Soapwort Order.
C2.
soapwort gentian n. †(a) = sense 1; (b) U.S. a variety of gentian.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Caryophyllaceae (chickweeds and allies) > [noun] > soapwort
boritha1382
crowsoapa1400
saponera1400
foam-dockc1500
fuller's grass1526
saponary1526
scour-wort1548
soapwort1548
mock gillyflower1578
soapwort gentian1578
struthion1587
soap-weed1607
gill-run-by-the-street1640
candify1727
saponaria1865
bouncing-Bet1884
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Gentianaceae (gentians) > [noun]
gentianOE
fieldwooda1393
baldmoney1393
caresweeta1400
felwort1526
calathian violet1578
crosswort gentian1578
harvest-bell1597
gentianella1633
blue violet1649
marsh gentian1690
vernal gentian1728
pennywort1817
meadow pink1827
soap-gentian1845
soapwort gentian1845
autumn-bells1863
windflower1866
willow gentian1883
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iii. 334 Alisma siue Saponaria, Sope~wort Gentian.
1845 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. ii. 303 G. saponaria... Soapwort Gentian.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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