foxglove

See also: fox-glove

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English fox-glove, foxes glove, from Old English foxes glōfa (“foxglove”). By surface analysis, fox +‎ glove.

Noun

foxglove (plural foxgloves)

foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
  1. Digitalis, a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous biennials native to the Old World, certain of which are prized for their showy flowers. The drug digitalis or digoxin was first isolated from the plant.
    • 1908, Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck‎, New York: Frederick Warne & Co:
      Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting-place. She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst some tall fox-gloves.
    • 1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 258:
      I wonder whether the witches would be wearing on their fingers their ornaments of foxglove blossoms, often called witches' bells or harebells, sometimes known as witches' thimbles.
    • 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 41:
      There were bunches of wild garlic to keep out evil spirits, foxgloves for healing spells and hemlock and vervain for darker magic.

Derived terms

Translations
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