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bu·gloss

(byglôs′, -glŏs′)

Any of several usually hairy Old World plants in the family Boraginaceae, especially in the genera Anchusa, Brunnera, and Echium, having blue or violet flowers.

[Middle English buglosse, plant of the genus Anchusa, from Middle French, from Late Latin būglōssa, from Greek bouglōsson, the plant Anchusa italica : bous, ox; see g^wou- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + glōssa, tongue (the plant being so called because its hairy leaves were thought to resemble the velvety tongues of cattle).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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