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saxifrage definition

saxi·frage (sak′sə frij′)

noun

any of a genus (Saxifraga) of chiefly perennial plants of the saxifrage family, with small white, yellow, purple, or pinkish flowers, and with leaves massed usually at the base of the plant

Etymology: ME < MFr < L saxifraga < saxum, a rock (see saxatile) + base of frangere, to break: prob. from growing in rock crevices

adjective

designating a family (Saxifragaceae, order Rosales) of dicotyledonous plants found chiefly in the North Temperate and Arctic zones, including the currants and gooseberries

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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