Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of numerous plants of the genus Polygonum and several closely related genera of the family Polygonaceae, characterized by stems with knotlike joints and sheathing stipules.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun botany Any of many plants, of the family Polygonaceae, embracing a large number of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin Polygonum, genus name, from Greek polugonon, knotgrass : polu-, poly- + gonu, knee; see genu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

New Latin, from Greek a kind of plant; many + the knee, a joint of a plant. So called in allusion to the numerous joints

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Examples

Comments

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  • excellent for hiding secret, murd'rous grave sites.

    June 18, 2009