Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- a European plant, Alkanna tinctoria, of the borage family.
- the root of this plant, yielding a red dye.
- the dye itself.
- any of several similar hairy plants, as the bugloss, Anchusa officinalis, or a puccoon of the genus Lithospermum.
noun
- a European boraginaceous plant, Alkanna tinctoria, the roots of which yield a red dye
- Also called: anchusin, alkannin the dye obtained from this plant
- any of certain hairy blue-flowered Old World plants of the boraginaceous genus Anchusa (or Pentaglottis), such as A. sempervirens of EuropeSee also bugloss
- another name for puccoon (def. 1)
“dye material from bugloss plant roots,” early 14c., from Spanish alcaneta, diminutive of alcana, from Arabic al-hinna (see henna). As the name of the plant itself, from 1560s.