| broom | 1. <botany> A plant having twigs suitable for making brooms to sweep with when bound together; especially, the Cytisus scoparius of Western Europe, which is a low shrub with long, straight, green, angular branches, mintue leaves, and large yellow flowers. "No gypsy cowered o'er fires of furze and broom." (Wordsworth) 2. An implement for sweeping floors, etc, commonly made of the panicles or tops of broom corn, bound together or attached to a long wooden handle; so called because originally made of the twigs of the broom. Butcher's broom, a plant (Ruscus aculeatus) of the Smilax family, used by butchers for brooms to sweep their blocks; called also knee holly. See Cladophyll. Dyer's broom, a species of mignonette (Reseda luteola), used for dyeing yellow; dyer's weed; dyer's rocket. Spanish broom. See Spanish. Origin: OE. Brom, brome, AS. Brom; akin to LG. Bram, D. Brem, OHG. Bramo broom, thornbush, G. Brombeere blackberry. Cf. Bramble. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| broom corn | <botany> A variety of Sorghum vulgare, having a joined stem, like maize, rising to the height of eight or ten feet, and bearing its seeds on a panicle with long branches, of which brooms are made. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| broom rape | <botany> A genus (Orobanche) of parasitic plants of Europe and Asia. They are destitute of chlorophyll, have scales instead of leaves, and spiked flowers, and grow attached to the roots of other plants, as furze, clover, flax, wild carrot, etc. The name is sometimes applied to other plants related to this genus, as Aphyllon uniflorumand A. Ludovicianum. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| broom-like | <botany> Describes a plant which has many branches parallel or almost so and usually erect. (09 Oct 1997) |
| butcher's broom | <botany> A genus of plants (Ruscus); especially. R. Aculeatus, which has large red berries and leaflike branches. See Cladophyll. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| green-broom | <botany> A plant of the genus Genista (G. Tinctoria); dyer's weed. Synonym: greenweed. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |