spurge

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /spɝdʒ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /spɜːdʒ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dʒ

Etymology 1

From Old French espurge (“to purge”), espurgier, 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”, 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
• Japanese spurge Pachysandra terminalis
• spurge flax Thymelaea passerina
• spurge laurel Daphne laureola
• spurge nettle Cnidoscolus stimulosus
• spurge olive Daphne mezereum
• wood spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides
• Mediterranean spurge Euphorbia characias
• cypress spurge Euphorbia cyparissias
• tree spurge Euphorbia dendroides
• cushion spurge Euphorbia epithymoides
• leafy spurge Euphorbia esula
• sun spurge Euphorbia helioscopia
• mottled spurge Euphorbia lactea
• caper spurge, paper spurge, gopher spurge Euphorbia lathyris
• spotted spurge, prostrate spurge Euphorbia maculata
• myrtle spurge, creeping spurge Euphorbia myrsinites
• Indian spurge tree Euphorbia neriifolia
• sea spurge Euphorbia paralias
• Peking spurge Euphorbia pekinensis
• purple spurge Euphorbia peplis
• petty spurge Euphorbia peplus
• sand spurge Euphorbia psammogeton
• resin spurge Euphorbia resinifera
• gopher spurge, upright myrtle spurge Euphorbia rigida
• serrated spurge, sawtooth spurge Euphorbia serrata
• Indian tree spurge Euphorbia tirucalli

Translations

any plant of the genus Euphorbia

• Danish: vortemælk c
• Finnish: tyräkki (fi)
• French: euphorbe (fr) f
• German: Wolfsmilch f
• 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)
• 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
• Swahili: mkweche

References

• spurge on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Euphorbia on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Euphorbia on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

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

• Finnish: vaahdota (fi)

Anagrams

• Grupes, Super G, purges, super G