loosestrife

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noun

Any of certain flowering plants of the genera Lythrum and Lysimachia, which are in different taxonomic families.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounloosestrife (countable and uncountable, plural loosestrifes)

plural loosestrifes

  1. countableuncountableAny of certain flowering plants of the genera Lythrum and Lysimachia, which are in different taxonomic families.

    1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, Duckworth, hardback edition, page 91, He had a suit of summer mufti, and a broad-brimmed blue beaver hat looped with leaves broken from the hedgerows in the lanes, and a Leander scarf tucked full of flowers: loosestrife, meadowrue, orchis, ragged-robin.

    2 more examples

    Most loosestrifes thrive in the northern part of the United States and Canada but only a few make good garden plants for the South.

    2008, Allan M. Armitage, Herbaceous Perennial Plants, 3rd edition, page 672

    2013, Théodore de Saussure, Jane F. Hill (translator), Chemical Research on Plant Growth, [Recherches chimiques sur la Végétation], page 22, I grew some peas, loosestrifes, and fleabanes [“inules”] in profound darkness, beneath two identical receptacles filled with atmospheric air.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekλυσιμάχειον
  2. Englishloosestrife

Calque of Ancient Greek λυσιμάχειον (lusimákheion), as if from λύσις (lúsis, “loosening”) + μάχη (mákhē, “battle, strife”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek λυσιμάχειον
  • λυσιμάχειον (lusimákheion)Lysimachia
Bulgarian лени́вче
  • лени́вче (lenívče)Lysimachia
Chinese Mandarin 千屈菜, 珍珠菜
  • 千屈菜 (qiānqūcài)Lythrum
  • 珍珠菜 (zhēnzhūcài)Lysimachia
Dutch kattenstaart, wederik
  • kattenstaartLythrum
  • wederikLysimachia
Finnish rantakukka, alpi
  • rantakukkaLythrum
  • alpiLysimachia
French salicaire, lysimaque
  • salicaireLythrum
  • lysimaqueLysimachia
German Blutweiderich, Gilbweiderich
  • BlutweiderichLythrum
  • GilbweiderichLysimachia
Greek λύθρο, λυσιμάχειο
  • λύθρο (lýthro)Lythrum
  • λυσιμάχειο (lysimácheio)Lysimachia
Icelandic útlagi
  • útlagiLysimachia
Polish krwawnica, tojeść
  • krwawnicaLythrum
  • tojeśćLysimachia
Russian дербе́нник, подбере́жник
  • дербе́нник (derbénnik)Lythrum
  • подбере́жник (podberéžnik)Lythrum
  • вербе́йник (verbéjnik)Lysimachia
Swedish lysing
  • lysingLysimachia
Turkish karga otu
  • karga otuLysimachia
Vietnamese thiên khuất, trân châu
  • thiên khuấtLythrum
  • trân châuLysimachia
Welsh trewyn
  • trewynLysimachia
Cite this entry
APA

loosestrife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loosestrife

MLA

“loosestrife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loosestrife. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “loosestrife,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/loosestrife.

Source: loosestrife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.