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Gentian - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Gentian : (noun)
1: any of various plants of the family Gentianaceae especially
the genera Gentiana and Gentianella and Gentianopsis
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Gentian : \Gen"tian\, n. [OE. genciane, F. gentiane, L. gentiana,
fr. Gentius, an Illyrian king, said to have discovered its
properties.] (Bot.)
Any one of a genus ({Gentiana) of herbaceous plants with
opposite leaves and a tubular four- or five-lobed corolla,
usually blue, but sometimes white, yellow, or red. See
Illust. of Capsule.
Note: Many species are found on the highest mountains of
Europe, Asia, and America, and some are prized for
their beauty, as the Alpine ({Gentiana verna,
Bavarica, and excisa), and the American fringed
gentians ({G. crinita and G. detonsa). Several are
used as tonics, especially the bitter roots of
Gentiana lutea, the officinal gentian of the
pharmacop[oe]ias.
Horse gentian, fever root.
Yellow gentian (Bot.), the officinal gentian ({Gentiana
lutea). See Bitterwort.
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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