dittany
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Related to dittany: white dittany
dit·ta·ny
(dĭt′n-ē)n. pl. dit·ta·nies
1. An aromatic woolly plant (Origanum dictamnus) in the mint family, native to Crete and formerly believed to have magical powers.
2. See stone mint.
3. See gas plant.
[Middle English ditaine, from Old French ditan, from Latin dictamnus, from Greek diktamnon, perhaps after Mount Diktē, (Dhíkti), a peak in eastern Crete.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
dittany
(ˈdɪtənɪ)n, pl -nies
1. (Plants) an aromatic Cretan plant, Origanum dictamnus, with pink drooping flowers: formerly credited with great medicinal properties: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
2. (Plants) Also called: stone mint a North American labiate plant, Cunila origanoides, with clusters of purplish flowers
3. (Plants) another name for gas plant
[C14: from Old French ditan, from Latin dictamnus, from Greek diktamnon, perhaps from Diktē, mountain in Crete]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
dit•ta•ny
(ˈdɪt n i)n., pl. -nies.
1. a Cretan plant, Origanumdictamnus, of the mint family, having spikes of purple flowers.
2. a North American plant, Cunila origanoides, of the mint family, bearing clusters of purplish flowers.
3. gas plant.
[1350–1400; Middle English ditane, detany < Old French dita(i)n < Latin dictamnus, dictamnum < Greek díktamnon, perhaps akin to Díktē, a mountain in Crete where the herb abounded]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  dittany - Eurasian perennial herb with white flowers that emit flammable vapor in hot weatherherb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests |
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