saxifraga
|sax-if-rag-a|
/ˌsæk.sɪˈfræɡə/
stone-breaker (plant)
Etymology
'saxifraga' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'saxifraga', where 'saxum' meant 'rock' and 'frangere' meant 'to break'.
'saxifraga' passed through Medieval Latin as 'saxifraga' and entered English as the common-name form 'saxifrage' in Middle English; in modern botanical Latin it is used as the genus name 'Saxifraga'.
Initially, it meant 'stone-breaker' (referring either to growth in rock crevices or to a supposed medicinal ability to break up stones); over time it came to designate specifically the plants of the genus Saxifraga.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
any plant of the genus Saxifraga, a group of mainly alpine or rock-dwelling flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae, typically forming rosettes or cushions and bearing small star-shaped flowers.
A saxifraga often grows in the crevices of mountain rocks where other plants cannot survive.
Synonyms
Noun 2
(archaic/figurative) A plant believed to have the power to break up or dissolve stones (used historically of remedies for kidney or bladder stones); from Latin literally meaning 'stone-breaker'.
In old herbals, saxifraga was recommended as a remedy for removing urinary stones.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/04 23:59