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
[ hôrhound′ ]

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.