Meanings
plural scammonies
- countableuncountableAny member of the species Convolvulus scammonia, a twining perennial bindweed native to the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, whose juice has been used in medicine as scammonium.
- countableuncountableCathartic gum resin obtained from this plant.
Compounded with honey, scammony is recommended as an aphrodisiac by Avicenna.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 217
Synonyms & antonyms
nountwining plant of Asia Minor having cream-colored to purple flowers and long thick roots yielding a cathartic resin
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekσκαμμώνιον
- Latinscammōnia
- Old Frenchscamonie
- Middle Englishscamōnīe
- Englishscammony
From Middle English scamōnīe, from Old French scamonie, from Latin scammōnia, from Ancient Greek σκαμμώνιον (skammṓnion).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σκαμμωνία
- σκαμμωνία (skammōnía)bindweed
Arabic سَقَمُونِيَا
- سَقَمُونِيَا (saqamūniyā)bindweed
Catalan escamònia
- escamòniabindweed
Finnish alepponkierto
- alepponkiertobindweed
German Purgierkraut, Purgierwinde
- Purgierkrautbindweed
- Purgierwindebindweed
Italian scamonea
- scamoneabindweed
Latin acridium, scammōnea
- acridiumbindweed
- scammōneabindweed
Polish socznica, powój czyszczący
- socznicabindweed
- powój czyszczącybindweed
- powój przeczyszczającybindweed
- powój żywicznybindweed
Romanian scamonee
- scamoneebindweed
Russian вьюно́к смолоно́сный, скаммо́ний
- вьюно́к смолоно́сный (vʹjunók smolonósnyj)bindweed
- скаммо́ний (skammónij)bindweed
Swedish hartsvinda
- hartsvindabindweed
Turkish mahmude
- mahmudebindweed
Ukrainian берізка смолоносна
- берізка смолоносна (berizka smolonosna)bindweed
Welsh cynghafog y Dwyrain
- cynghafog y Dwyrainbindweed
Cite this entry
scammony. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scammony
“scammony.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scammony. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scammony,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scammony.
Source: scammony on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.