saxifrage
saxifrage Lexical Profile
saxifrage Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of various perennial, low-growing plants of the genus Saxifraga, typically bearing small white, yellow, pink, or red flowers and natively found growing in the rocky clefts and alpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
"While hiking above the tree line in the Alps, the botanist pointed out the delicate purple saxifrage blooming remarkably from a bare crack in the granite."
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English saxifrage, from Old French saxifrage, derived from Latin saxifraga (herba), meaning 'stone-breaking (herb)'. This comes from 'saxum' (rock, stone) + 'frangere' (to break). It was named either because it characteristically grows in rock crevices, appearing to break them, or because it was historically used in herbal medicine to treat kidney stones.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.