flea-wort

A gardener plants flea-wort in her medicinal herb garden.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Any of several plants of the genus Senecio or Plantago: "flea-wort" refers to various plants, especially those in the daisy family (like Senecio) or the plantain family (like Plantago psyllium), historically believed to repel fleas or used for their seeds that have laxative properties.
   • A plant with seeds used as a laxative: Specifically, "flea-wort" can denote the plant Plantago psyllium (also known as psyllium), whose seeds are ground and used as a bulk-forming laxative.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The herbalist recommended flea-wort for its mild laxative effects. (A plant whose seeds help with constipation.)
  • Farmers once planted flea-wort around barns to deter fleas. (A plant thought to repel insects.)

Advanced Usage

• "flea-wort seed": the seed of the species, used medicinally.
  • Flea-wort seed is often ground into a powder and mixed with water for digestive health. (The seed is used as a natural laxative.)
• "common flea-wort": a specific species, (groundsel), sometimes called flea-wort.
  • Common flea-wort grows as a weed in gardens but was historically used to repel fleas. (A wild plant with a traditional use.)

Variants and Related Words

• Flea (n): a small, wingless insect that feeds on blood.
  • Fleas can infest pets, which is why flea-wort was once used as a deterrent. (The insect that the plant's name refers to.)
• Wort (n): an old English term for a plant or herb.
  • Many medicinal plants have "wort" in their name, like flea-wort or liverwort. (A suffix meaning "herb" or "plant.")

Synonyms

• Psyllium (n): the specific plant or its seeds, used as a laxative.
  • Psyllium is the modern name for the flea-wort used in health supplements. (A synonym for the medicinal species.)
• Plantain (n): a broader term for plants in the genus.
  • Some types of plantain are also called flea-wort. (A related plant group.)

Related Idioms