comfrey

English

A comfrey plant

Alternative forms

• comphrey, cumfrey

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  cumfiria; this was possibly from earlier Latin conferva (an aquatic herb mentioned in Pliny), from conferveo (“I boil together”; from the use of the plant in tea to aid in healing bones).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʌm.fɹi/

Noun

comfrey (countable and uncountable, plural comfreys)

1. Any of several species of perennial herbs of the genus Symphytum, often specifically .
   • 2007 April 25, Kim Severson, “Farmer, Cookie Maker, Ecologist and, Yes, the Future King”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from comfrey or seaweed and uses only rain, natural groundwater or wastewater purified through a system of reed beds.

Translations

perennial herb

• Bulgarian: черен оман, зарасличе (zarasliče)
• French: consoude (fr) f
• German: Beinwell (de) m
• Greek: σύμφυτο (el) n (sýmfyto), στεκούλι n (stekoúli)

  Ancient: σύμφυτον n (súmphuton)

• Irish: meacan compair m, lus na gcnámh briste m
• Italian: consolida (it) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: żywokost (pl) m
• Portuguese: consolda f, consólida f, confrei m
• Russian: око́пник (ru) m (okópnik), костоло́мка (ru) f (kostolómka)
• Spanish: consuelda (es) f
• Vilamovian: bǡnwał m

Further reading

• comfrey on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Symphytum on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Symphytum on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• comfrey at USDA Plants database
• comfrey at Integrated Taxonomic Information System.