alkanet
[ al-kuh-net ]
/ ˈæl kəˌnɛt /
noun
a European plant, Alkanna tinctoria, of the borage family.
the root of this plant, yielding a red dye.
the dye itself.
any of several similar hairy plants, as the bugloss, Anchusa officinalis, or a puccoon of the genus Lithospermum.
Origin of alkanet
1300–50; Middle English < Old Spanish
alcaneta, equivalent to
alcan(a) henna (plant) (< Medieval Latin
alchanna < Arabic
al the +
hinnā̉ henna) +
-eta diminutive suffix
Words nearby alkanet
alkaloidal,
alkalosis,
alkaluria,
alkane,
alkane series,
alkanet,
alkanethiol,
alkannin,
alkapton,
alkaptonuria,
alkekengi
Example sentences from the Web for alkanet
British Dictionary definitions for alkanet
alkanet
/ (ˈælkəˌnɛt) /
noun
a European boraginaceous plant, Alkanna tinctoria, the roots of which yield a red dye
Also called: anchusin, alkannin
the dye obtained from this plant
any of certain hairy blue-flowered Old World plants of the boraginaceous genus Anchusa (or Pentaglottis), such as A. sempervirens of Europe
See also bugloss
another name for puccoon (def. 1)
Word Origin for alkanet
C14: from Spanish
alcaneta, diminutive of
alcana henna, from Medieval Latin
alchanna, from Arabic
al the +
hinnā' henna