saxifrage

saxifrage
saxifrage [sak′sə frij΄]
n.
[ME < MFr < L saxifraga < saxum, a rock (see SAXATILE) + base of frangere, to BREAK: prob. from growing in rock crevices]
any of a genus (Saxifraga) of chiefly perennial plants of the saxifrage family, with small white, yellow, purple, or pinkish flowers, and with leaves massed usually at the base of the plant
adj.
designating a family (Saxifragaceae, order Rosales) of dicotyledonous plants found chiefly in the North Temperate and Arctic zones, including the currants and gooseberries

English World dictionary. . 2014.

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  • saxifrage — [ saksifraʒ ] n. f. et adj. • XIIIe; du lat. saxum « rocher » et frangere « briser » 1 ♦ Plante herbacée (saxifragacées) dont certaines espèces croissent dans les fissures des rochers et des murs. « leurs parois où pendent les filaments des… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Saxifrage — Sax i*frage (?; 48), n. [L. saxifraga, from saxifragus stone breaking; saxum rock + frangere to break: cf. F. saxifrage. See {Fracture}, and cf. {Sassafras}, {Saxon}.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Saxifraga}, mostly perennial herbs growing in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • saxifrage — late 14c., from O.Fr. saxifrage (13c.), from L.L. saxifraga kind of herb, from L. saxifraga herba, lit. a rock breaking herb, from saxifragus stonebreaking, from saxum stone, rock + frag , root of frangere to break (see FRACTION (Cf. fraction …   Etymology dictionary

  • saxifrage — Saxifrage, ou Rompierre, Saxifragum, ou Saxifraga …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • saxifrage — ► NOUN ▪ a low growing plant of rocky or stony ground, bearing small white, yellow, or red flowers. ORIGIN Latin saxifraga, from saxum rock + frangere to break …   English terms dictionary

  • Saxifrage — Saxifrag …   Wikipédia en Français

  • saxifrage — (sa ksi fra j ) adj. 1°   Ancien terme de médecine. Propre à dissoudre la pierre ; on dit aujourd hui lithontriptique. 2°   S. f. Genre de la famille des saxifragées où l on distingue : la saxifrage ombreuse, appelée généralement aigrette par les …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Saxifrage — See HMS Saxifrage for ship names. For the fictional character, see Sax Russell. Taxobox name = Saxifraga image width = 240px image caption = Saxifraga oppositifolia regnum = Plantae divisio = Magnoliophyta classis = Magnoliopsida ordo =… …   Wikipedia

  • saxifrage — /sak seuh frij/, n. any plant of the genus Saxifraga, certain species of which grow wild in the clefts of rocks, other species of which are cultivated for their flowers. Cf. saxifrage family. [1400 50; late ME < L saxifraga (herba) stone breaking …   Universalium

  • saxifrage — [15] The saxifrage is etymologically the ‘stone breaker’. The word comes via Old French saxifrage from late Latin saxifraga, a compound formed from Latin saxum ‘rock’ and frag , the stem of frangere ‘break’ (source of English fraction, fracture,… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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