horehound
or hoar·hound
[ hawr-hound, hohr- ]
/ ˈhɔrˌhaʊnd, ˈhoʊr- /
noun
an Old World plant, Marrubium vulgare, of the mint family, having downy leaves and small, whitish flowers, and containing a bitter, medicinal juice that is used as an expectorant, vermifuge, and laxative.
any of various plants of the mint family.
a brittle candy or lozenge flavored with horehound extract.
Origin of horehound
before 1000; Middle English
horehune, Old English
hārhūne, equivalent to
hār gray,
hoar +
hūne horehound
Words nearby horehound
Example sentences from the Web for horehound
British Dictionary definitions for horehound
horehound
hoarhound
/ (ˈhɔːˌhaʊnd) /
noun
Also called: white horehound
a downy perennial herbaceous Old World plant, Marrubium vulgare, with small white flowers that contain a bitter juice formerly used as a cough medicine and flavouring: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
See also black horehound
water horehound another name for bugleweed (def. 1)
Word Origin for horehound
Old English
hārhūne, from
hār grey +
hūne horehound, of obscure origin
Medical definitions for horehound
horehound
[ hôr′hound′ ]
n.
An aromatic Eurasian plant whose leaves yield a bitter extract that is used as a cough remedy.
A candy or preparation flavored with this extract.