devil's bit

noun

A plant of species Succisa pratensis, native to Europe.

Similar
devil's bit scabiousblazing star
OriginLatin morsus diaboli →
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Meanings

noun

alternative devil's-bit

  1. A plant of species Succisa pratensis, native to Europe.

    Synonyms: devil's bit scabious

  2. A plant of species Chamaelirium luteum, native to North America.

    A folk notion held that if corn kernels were steeped in Devil's-bit tea for 24 hours before sowing, birds would not eat them.

    2014, Steven Foster, James A. Duke, Peterson Field Guide to Medical Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 100

    Synonyms: blazing star

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA plant of species Succisa pratensis, native to Europe.

Similar
devil's bit scabious

nounA plant of species Chamaelirium luteum, native to North America.

Similar
blazing star
Also see
blazing star

Origin

  1. Latinmorsus diaboli
  2. Englishdevil's bit

Calque of Latin morsus diaboli.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch blauwe knoop
  • blauwe knoopSuccisa pratensis
Hungarian réti ördögharaptafű
  • réti ördögharaptafűSuccisa pratensis
Polish czarcikęs łąkowy
  • czarcikęs łąkowySuccisa pratensis
Cite this entry
APA

devil's bit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil's%20bit

MLA

“devil's bit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil's%20bit. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devil's bit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devil's%20bit.

Source: devil's bit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.