bistort
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bis·tort
(bĭs′tôrt′)n.
Any of several plants of the family Polygonaceae, especially the Eurasian perennial herb Persicaria bistorta (syn. Polygonum bistorta), having spikes of usually pink flowers and twisted roots used as an astringent in folk medicine.
[French bistorte, from Old French, from Medieval Latin *bistorta : Latin bis, twice; see bis + torta, past participle of torquēre, to twist; see torque1.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
bistort
(ˈbɪstɔːt)n
1. (Plants) Also called: snakeroot, snakeweed or Easter-ledges a Eurasian polygonaceous plant, Polygonum bistorta, having leaf stipules fused to form a tube around the stem and a spike of small pink flowers
2. (Plants) Also called: snakeroot a related plant, Polygonum bistortoides, of W North America, with oval clusters of pink or white flowers
3. (Plants) any of several other plants of the genus Polygonum
[C16: from French bistorte, from Latin bis twice + tortus from torquēre to twist]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bis•tort
(ˈbɪs tɔrt)n.
1. Also called snakeweed. a European plant, Polygonum bistorta, of the buckwheat family, having a twisted root, which is sometimes used as an astringent.
2. any of several related plants, as P. viviparum.
[1570–80; < Medieval Latin bistorta twice twisted. See bis, tort]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.