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Definition of silybum
silybum
/ˈsɪlɪbəm/
sil · y · bum
Plural:silybums
silybum Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
13
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to the Mediterranean region, most notably including the milk thistle, which is widely cultivated for its medicinal properties.
Example
"The herbalist explained that extracts from silybum have been traditionally utilized to support liver health."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for silybumWord Nuance & Usage
When used in strict botanical taxonomy to denote the genus, it is capitalized and italicized as 'Silybum'; in general references to the plants, it is lowercase.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Latin 'silybum', derived from Ancient Greek 'sílybon' (σίλυβον), a word historically used to describe an edible, thistle-like plant.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Silybum. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/silybum