ERUCIC a.
Pertaining to, or derived from, a genus of cruciferous Mediterranean herbs (Eruca or Brassica); as, erucic acid, a fatty acid resembling oleic acid, and found in colza oil, mustard oil, etc.
FRIGATE n.
Originally, a vessel of the Mediterranean propelled by sails and by oars. The French, about 1650, transferred the name to larger vessels, and by 1750 it had been appropriated for a class of war vessels intermediate between corvettes and ships of the line. Frigates, from about 1750 to 1850, had one full battery deck and…
JUJUBE n.
The sweet and edible drupes (fruits) of several Mediterranean and African species small trees, of the genus Zizyphus, especially the Z. jujuba, Z. vulgaris, Z. mucronata, and Z. Lotus. The last named is thought to have furnished the lotus of the ancient Libyan Lotophagi, or lotus eaters. Jujube paste, the dried or insp…
KERMES n.
cus ilicis), allied to the cochineal insect, and found on several species of oak near the Mediterranean. They are round, about the size of a pea, contain coloring matter analogous to carmine, and are used in dyeing. They were anciently thought to be of a vegetable nature, and were used in medicine. [Written also cherme…
LAVENDER n.
Lavender cotton (Bot.), a low, twiggy, aromatic shrub (Santolina Chamæcyparissus) of the Mediterranean region, formerly used as a vermifuge, etc., and still used to keep moths from wardrobes. Also called ground cypress. -- Lavender water, a perfume composed of alcohol, essential oil of lavender, essential oil of berg…