alkanet

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈælkəˌnɛt/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(al′kə net′)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
al•ka•net  (al′kə net′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a European plant, Alkanna tinctoria, of the borage family.
  2. the root of this plant, yielding a red dye.
  3. the dye itself.
  4. any of several similar hairy plants, as the bugloss, Anchusa officinalis, or a puccoon of the genus Lithospermum.
  • Arabic al the + hinnā' henna) + -eta diminutive suffix
  • Medieval Latin alchanna
  • Old Spanish alcaneta, equivalent. to alcan(a) henna (plant) (
  • Middle English 1300–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
alkanet /ˈælkəˌnɛt/ n
  1. a European boraginaceous plant, Alkanna tinctoria, the roots of which yield a red dye
  2. Also called: anchusin, alkannin the dye obtained from this plant
  3. any of certain hairy blue-flowered Old World plants of the boraginaceous genus Anchusa (or Pentaglottis), such as A. sempervirens of Europe
    See also bugloss
Etymology: 14th Century: from Spanish alcaneta, diminutive of alcana henna, from Medieval Latin alchanna, from Arabic al the + hinnā' henna
'alkanet' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
anchusin - henna - oxtongue - alkannin - anchusa - redroot

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