Meanings
plural dragonworts
- Common bistort, a perennial herb of Europe and Asia, of species Bistorta officinalis (syns. Persicaria bistorta, Polygonum bistorta), formerly used as an astringent.
Synonyms: bistort, European bistort, meadow bistort, adderwort, Easter giant, Easter-ledges, patience dock, sweet dock
- Dragon arum, a perennial herb of Greece and the Balkans, of species Dracunculus vulgaris.
- Tarragon, an edible aromatic herb, of species Artemisia dracunculus, in the daisy family, Asteraceae.
- Green dragon, of species Arisaema dracontium
Synonyms & antonyms
nounCommon bistort, a perennial herb of Europe and Asia, of species Bistorta officinalis (syns. Persicaria bistorta, Polygonum bistorta), formerly used as an astringent.
Origin
- Ancient Greekδρακόντιον“dragonwort”
- Englishdragonwort
From dragon + wort. Compare Middle English dragaunce, dragunce, dragance, dragans (“dragonwort”), from Old French dragonce, dragance, from Medieval Latin draguncia, dragancia (“dragonwort”), disfigured from the plural of dracontium (“dragonwort”), from Ancient Greek δρακόντιον (drakóntion, “dragonwort”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
dragonwort. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragonwort
“dragonwort.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragonwort. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dragonwort,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dragonwort.
Source: dragonwort on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.