soapwort

2 definitions found

soapwort - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Soapwort \Soap"wort`\, n. (Bot.)
     A common plant (Saponaria officinalis) of the Pink family;
     -- so called because its bruised leaves, when agitated in
     water, produce a lather like that from soap. Called also
     Bouncing Bet.
     [1913 Webster]

soapwort - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  soapwort
      n 1: plant of European origin having pink or white flowers and
           leaves yielding a detergent when bruised [syn: soapwort,
           hedge pink, bouncing Bet, bouncing Bess, Saponaria officinalis
           ]