comfrey

Alternative forms

comphrey, cumfrey

Etymology

From Middle English cumfiria, from Latin (herba) cōnfirma in Pseudo-Apuleius, also called cōnsolida, cōnserva, cōnferva, from conferveo (“to boil together”); from the use of the plant in tea to aid in healing bones.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈkʌm.fɹi/
Audio (US): (file)

Noun

comfrey (countable and uncountable, plural comfreys)

Any of several species of perennial herbs of the genus Symphytum, often specifically common comfrey (Symphytum officinale).
- 2007 April 25, Kim Severson, “Farmer, Cookie Maker, Ecologist and, Yes, the Future King”, in New York Times‎:
  It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from comfrey or seaweed and uses only rain, natural groundwater or wastewater purified through a system of reed beds.

Derived terms

Translations

perennial herb

Arabic: سِنْفِيتُون m (sinfītūn)
Belarusian: жывако́ст m (žyvakóst)
Bulgarian: че́рен ома́н m (čéren omán), зара́сличе n (zarásliče)
Catalan: consolda f
Chinese: please add this translation if you can
Danish: please add this translation if you can
Dutch: smeerwortel (nl) m
Finnish: raunioyrtti (fi) (Symphytum), rohtoraunioyrtti (fi) (Symphytum officinale)
French: consoude (fr) f
Galician: consolda f
Georgian: ლაშქარა (laškara)
German: Beinwell (de) m
Greek: σύμφυτο (el) n (sýmfyto), στεκούλι n (stekoúli)
Ancient: σύμφυτον n (súmphuton)
Hebrew: סינפיטון m (sinfitón)
Hungarian: nadálytő (hu)
Irish: meacan compair m, lus na gcnámh briste m
Italian: consolida (it) f
Japanese: コンフリー (konfurii), 鰭玻璃草 (hirehari-sou)
Kazakh: майтамыр (maitamyr)
Kyrgyz: please add this translation if you can
Latin: ālum n
Macedonian: га́вез m (gávez)
Old English: galluc m
Polish: żywokost (pl) m
Portuguese: consolda (pt) f, consólida f, confrei m
Romanian: tătăneasă (ro) f
Russian: око́пник (ru) m (okópnik), костоло́мка (ru) f (kostolómka)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: га̏ве̄з m

Latin: gȁvēz (sh) m
Slovak: kostihoj m
Slovene: gȃbez m
Spanish: consuelda (es) f
Swedish: vallört (sv) c
Turkish: eşekkulağı (tr), karakafes (tr)
Turkmen: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: живокі́ст m (žyvokíst)
Uzbek: please add this translation if you can
Vilamovian: bǡnwał m
Welsh: cyfardwf f