woundwort

[ woond-wurt, -wawrt ]

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Stachys, belonging to the mint family, especially S. palustris, having hairy stems and leaves and whorled clusters of small, reddish flowers.
2. kidney vetch.

woundwort

/ ˈwuːndˌwɜːt /

noun

1. any of various plants of the genus Stachys, such as S. arvensis ( field woundwort ), having purple, scarlet, yellow, or white flowers and formerly used for dressing wounds: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
2. any of various other plants used in this way

Word History and Origins

Origin of woundwort¹

First recorded in 1540–50; wound ¹ + wort ²

Example Sentences

Their quest brings them into contact with a battle-scarred rabbit called "General" Woundwort, as well as a gull called Kehaar who tells another character to go away using an expletive.

From BBC

While the film’s Grim Reaper-like Black Rabbit has caused nightmares aplenty, at the centre of Watership Down’s dark 180BPM heart is General Woundwort, whose scalpel-sharp claws, psychotic personality and colourless eyes indicate that he belongs not in a hutch, but in a flat-roof pub.

From The Guardian

This may sound strange, but it would honestly be General Woundwort from Richard Adams’s “Watership Down.”

From New York Times

Up to the bit where Bigwig faces up to General Woundwort.

From Literature

"Thankfully the A-list voice talent add personality to this famously downbeat drama," she continues, going on to praise Sir Ben Kingsley's "genuinely terrifying" General Woundwort.

From BBC