woodruff (redirected from woodruffs)

wood·ruff  (wdrf, -rf)

n.

1. A fragrant perennial herb (Galium odoratum) native to Eurasia and North Africa and widely cultivated as a shade ground cover, having small white flowers and narrow leaves used for flavoring wine and in sachets. Also called sweet woodruff.

2. Any of various plants of the genus Asperula, having whorled leaves and small funnel-shaped flowers.

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[Middle English woderofe, from Old English wudurofe : wudu, wood + -rofe, of unknown meaning.]

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woodruff [ˈwʊdrʌf]

n

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any of several rubiaceous plants of the genus Galium, esp G. odoratum (sweet woodruff), of Eurasia, which has small sweet-scented white flowers and whorls of narrow fragrant leaves used to flavour wine and liqueurs and in perfumery

[Old English wudurofe, from wood¹ + rōfe, related to Old High German ruoba, Middle Low German rōve (beet)root, Latin rēpere to creep]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	woodruff - Old World fragrant stoloniferous perennial having small white flowers and narrow leaves used as flavoring and in sachets; widely cultivated as a ground cover; in some classifications placed in genus Asperula Asperula odorata, fragrant bedstraw, Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff, waldmeister sweet woodruff, waldmeister - fragrant dark green leaves used to flavor May wine May wine - a punch made of Moselle and sugar and sparkling water or champagne flavored with sweet woodruff bedstraw - any of several plants of the genus Galium
	2.	woodruff - any plant of the genus Asperula Asperula, genus Asperula - woodruff Asperula tinctoria, dyer's woodruff - creeping European perennial having red or pinkish-white flowers and red roots sometimes used as a substitute for madder in dyeing subshrub, suffrutex - low-growing woody shrub or perennial with woody base