spurge

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /spɝd͡ʒ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /spɜːd͡ʒ/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒ

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English spurge, from Old French espurge, from espurgier (“to purge”), from Latin expurgo (“I purge”); the bitter milky sap of these plants was formerly used as a purgative.

Noun

spurge (usually uncountable, plural spurges)

1. Any plant of the genus Euphorbia, a diverse genus of over 2,000 species.
   • 1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section X:

     But cockle, spurge, according to their law / Might propagate their kind, with none to awe, / You'd think; a burr had been a treasure trove.

Derived terms

• Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)
• broom spurge (Amperea xiphoclada)
• cushion spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides)
• cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)
• green spurge
• Hall's shrubby spurge (Tetracoccus hallii
• Indian spurge tree (Euphorbia neriifolia)
• Indian tree spurge (Euphorbia tirucalli)
• Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
• leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula)
• Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias)
• mottled spurge (Euphorbia lactea)
• myrtle spurge, creeping spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites)
• petty spurge (Euphorbia peplus)
• Peking spurge (Euphorbia pekinensis)
• purple spurge (Euphorbia peplis)
• resin spurge (Euphorbia resinifera)
• sand spurge (Euphorbia psammogeton)
• sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias)
• serrated spurge, sawtooth spurge (Euphorbia serrata)
• spotted spurge, prostrate spurge (Euphorbia maculata)
• spurge daphne (Daphne laureola)
• spurge flax (Thymelaea passerina)
• spurge hawk-moth (Hyles euphorbiae)
• spurge laurel (Daphne laureola)
• spurge nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus)
• spurge olive (Daphne mezereum)
• sun spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia)
• tree spurge (Euphorbia dendroides)
• wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
• caper spurge, paper spurge, gopher spurge Euphorbia lathyris)
• gopher spurge, upright myrtle spurge (Euphorbia rigida)

Translations

any plant of the genus Euphorbia

• Armenian: իշակաթնուկ (hy) (išakatʿnuk)
• Bats: მათხეჼ (matxẽ)
• Bulgarian: млечка f (mlečka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大戟 (zh) (dàjǐ)

• Danish: vortemælk c
• Dutch: wolfsmelk (nl) f
• Finnish: tyräkki (fi)
• French: euphorbe (fr) f, épurge (fr) f
• Galician: surbia f
• Georgian: რძიანა (rʒiana)
• German: Wolfsmilch f
• Greek:

  Ancient: τιθύμαλλος m (tithúmallos)

• Hungarian: kutyatej (hu)
• Irish: bainne caoin m, buí na n-iníon m, buí na mbáb m, spuirse f
• Italian: euforbia f
• Japanese: 灯台草 (ja) (とうだいぐさ, tōdaigusa), ユーフォルビア (yūforubia)
• Laz: მჟაილა (mjaila)
• Macedonian: млечка f (mlečka), млечајка f (mlečajka)
• Middle English: spurge
• Mingrelian: მაბჟალია (mabžalia)
• Persian: شبرم (fa) (šebram)
• Polish: wilczomlecz m
• Portuguese: eufórbio (pt) m
• Romanian: aior (ro) m, alior (ro)
• Russian: молоча́й (ru) m (moločáj)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wjelceńc m

• Spanish: euforbio m
• Svan: მჷლჷჯო̄ლ (mələǯōl)
• Swahili: mkweche
• Swedish: törel (sv) c
• Xhosa: intsema, umhlontlo

References

• spurge on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Euphorbia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Euphorbia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• “*spurge*”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Etymology 2

Uncertain.

Verb

spurge (third-person singular simple present spurges, present participle spurging, simple past and past participle spurged)

1. (intransitive) To emit foam; to froth; said of the emission of yeast from beer during fermentation.
   • 1661, W. Cartwright, Siedge:

     The body's somthing noysome: 'tis a stale one; / Good troth it spurgeth very monstrously.

Translations

of beer during fermentation: to emit foam

• Bulgarian: пеня се (penja se)
• Finnish: vaahdota (fi)

Anagrams

• Grupes, Super G, purges, super G

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sporge, spourge, spowrge

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French espurge, from espurgier, from Latin expurgo. Compare purgen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspurd͡ʒ(ə)/

Noun

spurge (uncountable)

1. spurge

Descendants

• English: spurge

References

• “spurǧe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.