swallow-wort

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swallow-wort

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From swallow + wort, because the plant's parts were traditionally fancied as resembling a swallow's tail. Compare celandine.

noun swallow-worts · swallowwort · swallow wort

countable, uncountable The plants of the genus Vincetoxicum, especially Vincetoxicum nigrum (syn. Cynanchum nigrum, black swallow-wort) or (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria (syn. Cynanchum vincetoxicum, white swallowwort).
countable, uncountable The plants of the genus Cynanchum.
countable, uncountable Chelidonium majus (greater celandine).
countable, uncountable Pattalias palustris (syn. Seutera angustifolia, Gulf Coast swallow wort).
countable, uncountable orange swallow-wort (Asclepias tuberosa)
countable, uncountable silky swallow-wort (Asclepias syriaca
countable, uncountable Calotropis spp. (giant milkweed). Among the Kunbis of the Central Provinces of India a bachelor who marries a widow must first be married to an ākra or swallow-wort (Calotropis gigantea), a very common plant with mauve or purple flowers, which grows on waste land.
countable, uncountable Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge).

Translations

Every language

noun a plant of the genus Vincetoxium

日本語	鴎蔓 kamome-zuru
中文	白前 báiqián

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MLA

"swallow-wort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/swallow-wort. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

swallow-wort. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/swallow-wort

Chicago

"swallow-wort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/swallow-wort.

BibTeX

@misc{swallow_wort_2026,
  title = {swallow-wort},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/swallow-wort},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}