spike lavender

noun

1. a lavender, Lavandula latifolia, having spikes of pale-purple flowers, and yielding an oil used in painting.

spike lavender

noun

1. a Mediterranean lavender plant, Lavandula latifolia, having pale purple flowers and yielding an oil used in paints

Word History and Origins

Origin of spike lavender¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Word History and Origins

Origin of spike lavender¹

C17: from dialect spick lavender, via Old French and Old Provençal from Latin spīca spike ²

Example Sentences

Spike lavender or French lavender; also the male lavender, spica nardi, or pseudo-nardus of old writers.

From Project Gutenberg