echium

/ ˈɛkɪəm /

noun

1. any plant of the Eurasian and African genus Echium with bell-shaped flowers sometimes borne on single-sided spikes in a wide variety of colours; E. vulgare is viper's bugloss: family Boraginaceae

Word History and Origins

Origin of echium¹

New Latin, from Greek echion, from echis viper, from its use as an antidote to a viper bite

Example Sentences

The first we got at Walmer was the Echium vulgare, and is always associated in my mind with his lesson.

From Project Gutenberg