fumitory

noun

fu·​mi·​to·​ry ˈfyü-mə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce fumitory (audio)
: any of a genus (Fumaria of the family Papaveraceae, the poppy family) of erect or climbing herbs
especially : a common European herb (F. officinalis)

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fumeterre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin fumus terrae, literally, smoke of the earth, from Latin fumus + terrae, genitive of terra earth — more at terrace entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fumitory was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fumitory

fumish

fumitory

fumitory family

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Fumitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fumitory. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on fumitory

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fumitory

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...