from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Hyssop \Hys"sop\, n. [OE. hysope, ysope, OF. ysope, F. hysope,
hyssope, L. hysopum, hyssopum, hyssopus, Gr. ?, ?, an
aromatic plant, fr. Heb. [=e]sov.]
A plant ({Hyssopus officinalis}). The leaves have an aromatic
smell, and a warm, pungent taste.
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Note: The hyssop of Scripture is supposed to be a species of
caper ({Capparis spinosa}), but probably the name was
used for several different plants.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Caper \Ca"per\, n. [F. c[^a]pre, fr. L. capparis, Gr. ?; cf. Ar.
& Per. al-kabar.]
1. The pungent grayish green flower bud of the European and
Oriental caper ({Capparis spinosa}), much used for
pickles.
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2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus {Capparis}; -- called also
{caper bush}, {caper tree}.
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Note: The {Capparis spinosa} is a low prickly shrub of the
Mediterranean coasts, with trailing branches and
brilliant flowers; -- cultivated in the south of Europe
for its buds. The {Capparis sodada} is an almost
leafless spiny shrub of central Africa (Soudan),
Arabia, and southern India, with edible berries.
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{Bean caper}. See {Bran caper}, in the {Vocabulary}.
{Caper sauce}, a kind of sauce or catchup made of capers.
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