Definitions

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

  • noun Any of several plants of the genus Cimicifuga in the buttercup family, native to northern temperate regions and including the black cohosh.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A name given to species of the ranuneulaceous genus of plants Cimicifuga, in Europe to C. fætens, and in the United States to C. racemosa and C. Americana, from their reputed virtues as destroyers of bugs. The name is sometimes applied to the white hellebore, Veratrum viridc. Also called bugwort.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) A perennial white-flowered herb of the order Ranunculaceæ and genus Cimiciguga; bugwort. There are several species.

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

  • noun The baneberry.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a plant of the genus Cimicifuga having flowers in long racemes or panicles reported to be distasteful to insects
  • noun North American plant having large leaves and yellowish green flowers growing in racemes; yields a toxic alkaloid used medicinally

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

bug +‎ bane

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Examples

  • A dark bugbane (formally known as Actaea racemosa or Cimicifuga), which grows almost three feet tall, is one of my favorites for its odd-shaped leaves and color.

    Growing Insecurity 2010

  • In good soil and a partly shaded spot we have no handsomer plant in bloom than the tall bugbane (_Cimicifuga racemosa_); from a bunch of thrifty leaves arise a dozen scapes of racemes, creamy white, and six feet high.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 299, September 24, 1881 Various

  • _Cimicifuga_, meaning to drive away bugs, and the old folk-name of bugbane testify to a degree of offensiveness to other insects, where the flies 'enjoyment begins.

    Wild Flowers Worth Knowing Neltje Blanchan 1891

  • The black cohosh plant is also referred to as black snakeroot, bugbane, rattleroot, and rattleweed.

    unknown title 2008

  • קוהוש שחור: Black cohosh / Cohosh bugbane / Black snakeroot

    MyLinkVault Newest Links 2008

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