| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| bistort |
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| SYLLABICATION: | bis·tort |
| PRONUNCIATION: | b s tôrt |
| NOUN: | 1. A Eurasian perennial herb (Polygonum bistorta) having cylindrical spikes of usually pink flowers and a rhizome used as an astringent in folk medicine. 2. Any of certain related plants of the genus Polygonum. | | ETYMOLOGY: | French bistorte, from Old French, from Medieval Latin *bistorta : Latin bis, twice; see bis + torta, past participle of torqu re, to twist; see torque1.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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