Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various Eurasian tendril-bearing vines of the genus Bryonia, having red or black berries and tuberous roots formerly used as medicine.
- noun The black bryony.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The common name of species of Bryonia, a cucurbitaceous genus of plants, possessing acrid, emetic, and purgative properties which have given them repute as remedies for many diseases from early times.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) The common name of several cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Bryonia. The root of
Bryonia alba (rough bryony orwhite bryony ) and ofBryonia dioica is a strong, irritating cathartic. - noun a plant (
Tamus communis ) so named from its dark glossy leaves and black root; black bindweed.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A perennial
herb , of genus Bryonia, especially the common wild species, Bryonia dioica.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a vine of the genus Bryonia having large leaves and small flowers and yielding acrid juice with emetic and purgative properties
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"O'er the muir, amang the heather," Eleanor's walk had gone; and her basket was gay with gorse and broom just opening; but from grassy banks on her way she had brought the bright blue speedwell; and clematis and bryony from the hedges, and from under them wild hyacinth and white campion and crane's-bill and primroses; and a meadow she had passed over gave her one or two pretty kinds of orchis, with daisies and cowslips, and grasses of various kinds.
The Old Helmet 1864
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Most of my hedges are jungles of the various trees, draped with blackberry, dog-rose, bryony, honeysuckle and wild hop, all scrambling about the branches.
Wildwood Roger Deakin 2009
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It must have been a last moonflower vision that showed me jasmine and bryony growing all over the bed, I entwine.
Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009
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It must have been a last moonflower vision that showed me jasmine and bryony growing all over the bed, I entwine.
Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009
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Most of my hedges are jungles of the various trees, draped with blackberry, dog-rose, bryony, honeysuckle and wild hop, all scrambling about the branches.
Wildwood Roger Deakin 2009
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It must have been a last moonflower vision that showed me jasmine and bryony growing all over the bed, I entwine.
Wildfire Sarah Micklem 2009
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Most of the paintings are about 3¼ by 4 inches in size, captioned by four lines of Latin text with oversize, illuminated capitals and surrounded by wide borders of tiny bryony leaves on coiling vines.
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Newmania agree bryony is awful. sam leith though is great. a real libertarian conservative.
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The apprentice who had kneaded the bread had not noticed anything unusual either, and since his feet were swathed, the bryony would not have reached his skin to cause a rash.
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In addition, both fresh and dried roots were used in medicine -- in a posset bryony was said to cure shortness of breath.
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