Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of several perennial plants of the genus Sanguisorba of the rose family, some species of which have edible leaves used in salads or sauces.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis.
- noun The common name of species of Poterium, an herbaceous genus of the natural order Rosaceæ.
- Brownish.
- noun Cloth dyed of a brown color.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Bot.) A genus of perennial herbs (Poterium); especially,
Poterium Sanguisorba , the common, or garden, burnet. - noun (Zoöl.) in England, a handsome moth (
Zygæna filipendula ), with crimson spots on the wings. - noun (Bot.) See
Saxifrage . - noun a marsh plant (
Poterium Canadensis ). - noun
Poterium oficinalis (orSanguisorba oficinalis ).
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An
herb used insalads andherbal teas .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A small bird called a burnet made friends with him and lived in his cell, ate from his fingers and his trencher, and only left him at the breeding season, after which it brought its fledged family back with it.
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln A Short Story of One of the Makers of Mediaeval England 1886
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VIOLA _palustris_, the STATICE _armeria_, or sea pink, a kind of burnet, the RANUNCULUS _lapponicus_, the HOLCUS _odoratus_, the common celery, with the ARABIS _heterophylla_.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14 Robert Kerr 1784
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Gatherings of flies on the tall, white plate flowers of hogweed; burnet moths swinging on the yellow, sweetly scented lady's bedstraw; soldier beetles copulating wildly on their grass stems: these creatures were drawn to plants as places, to be inhabited by animal passions.
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Wet-kneed, we walked by pastures filled with the white froth of meadowsweet and river-bank flora of lady's bedstraw, betony, devil's bit scabious, greater burnet and eyebright, kneeling several times to store memories of the scent of the last of the fragrant orchids.
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Heavy doses of nitrogen fertiliser will tip the competitive balance in favour of grasses, and soon purple wood crane's bill, blood-red greater burnet, frothy white pignut and meadowsweet, yellow lady's bedstraw, globe flower and blue speedwells will vanish, leaving an "improved" pasture – more productive, more profitable, but oh-so dull.
Make hay meadow photos while the sun shines | Phil Gates 2011
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Last week I saw burnet roses in the dunes of Northumberland: low scrubby sticks scythed by North Sea winds blooming with constellations of white flowers.
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Suddenly, there in the viewfinder, was a six-spot burnet moth on the orchid blossoms.
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The burnet moths, without the competitive fuss between elite athletes and panting also-rans, just seemed beautifully better at it.
Country diary 2010
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The motivation for the burnet moths seemed powerfully erotic.
Country diary 2010
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The space below knee-height was full of burnet moths.
Country diary 2010
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