Meanings
plural alkanets
- Any member of the species Alkanna tinctoria, a plant whose root is used as a red dye.
- countableuncountableThe dyeing matter extracted from the roots of the plant with water or oil, used for cotton especially but also silk and wool, giving a deep red colour.
Synonyms: orchanet, orcanette, dyer's alkanet, bugloss, dyers' bugloss, Spanish bugloss, Languedoc bugloss
- countableuncountableOther plants of the genus Alkanna.
Synonyms: orchanet, orcanette, dyer's alkanet, bugloss, dyers' bugloss, Spanish bugloss, Languedoc bugloss
- countableuncountableCommon bugloss (Anchusa officinalis).
- countableuncountableYellow alkanet (Anchusa ochroleuca).
- countableuncountableFalse alkanet (Cynoglottis barrelieri, syn. Anchusa barrelieri).
- countableuncountableBastard alkanet or field gromwell (Lithospermum arvense).
- countableuncountableGreen alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), a blue-flowered plant with evergreen leaves.
- countableuncountablePuccoon (Sanguinaria canadensis).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe dyeing matter extracted from the roots of the plant with water or oil, used for cotton especially but also silk and wool, giving a deep red colour.
nounOther plants of the genus Alkanna.
More synonyms by meaning
nounperennial or biennial herb cultivated for its delicate usually blue flowers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Spanishalcana
- Englishalkanet
Diminutive of Spanish alcana, alheña.
More words from Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἄγχουσα, ἄγχουσα
- ἄγχουσα (ánkhousa)a dye extracted from this plant
- ἄγχουσα (ánkhousa)Alkanna tinctoria
French orcanette, orcanette des teinturiers
- orcanettea dye extracted from this plant
- orcanette des teinturiersa dye extracted from this plant
- orcanette des teinturiersAlkanna tinctoria
German Orkanette, Schminkwurz
- Orkanettea dye extracted from this plant
- SchminkwurzAlkanna tinctoria
Italian alcanna, ancusa
- alcannaa dye extracted from this plant
- ancusaa dye extracted from this plant
Korean 알칸나
- 알칸나 (alkanna)Alkanna tinctoria
Polish alkanna barwierska
- alkanna barwierskaAlkanna tinctoria
Portuguese orchanet, alcana
- orchaneta dye extracted from this plant
- alcanaAlkanna tinctoria
Russian алкани́н, алкане́т
- алкани́н (alkanín)a dye extracted from this plant
- алкане́т (alkanét)a dye extracted from this plant
- алка́нна (alkánna)Alkanna tinctoria
- алка́нна краси́льная (alkánna krasílʹnaja)Alkanna tinctoria
Spanish orcaneta
- orcanetaa dye extracted from this plant
Turkish havacıva
- havacıvaAlkanna tinctoria
Cite this entry
alkanet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkanet
“alkanet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkanet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alkanet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkanet.
Source: alkanet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.