Meaning & use
agrimony
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountabletechnicalbiology
A wild plant with small yellow flowers and leaves divided into pairs, formerly used in herbal medicine.
Grammar: Can be countable when talking about individual plants or species, and uncountable when referring to the plant material or herb.
Patterns
- agrimony grows
- a species of agrimony
- agrimony tea
Agrimony grows along dry roadsides and in open woods.
The herbalist mixed agrimony with other plants to make a mild tea.
In summer, the yellow spikes of agrimony are easy to spot in the meadow.
noununcountabletechnical
The dried leaves or flowers of this plant, used to make herbal remedies or tea.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the dried herb as a substance; no plural form is used in this sense.
Patterns
- dried agrimony
- a teaspoon of agrimony
- agrimony in herbal medicine
She added a spoonful of dried agrimony to the pot.
Agrimony has been used in traditional medicine for stomach complaints.
Word forms
| plural | agrimonies |
|---|
Common combinations
- common agrimony
- Common agrimony is often seen on chalky soil.
- agrimony tea
- He drank agrimony tea after meals.
- dried agrimony
- The shop sells dried agrimony for making infusions.
- a species of agrimony
- This species of agrimony has smaller flowers than usual.
- agrimony leaves
- The agrimony leaves are divided into several pairs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cocklebur
- A different plant with bur-like seeds; it is sometimes confused with agrimony because both are wild herbs, but the flowers and fruits are very different.
- herb
- A general word for any plant used for flavor, scent, or medicine; agrimony is a specific kind of herb.
Commonly confused: agrimony or acrimony? agrimony or alimony?
agrimony vs acrimony
Acrimony means bitterness in speech or feelings, not a plant. The spellings are similar but the meanings are completely different.
agrimony vs alimony
Alimony is money paid to a former spouse after divorce; it sounds a little like agrimony but has nothing to do with plants.
Practice
What is agrimony?
Choose one answer.
Agrimony is a plant with yellow flowers and divided leaves, once used in herbal medicine. 'Bitter argument' is 'acrimony', and 'payment after divorce' is 'alimony'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “agrimony”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.