▪ I. spurge, n.1
(spɜːdʒ)
Forms: α. 3– spurge. β. 5 spowrge, 5–6 spourge. γ. 5–6 sporge.
[ad. OF. espurge (F. épurge), f. espurgier spurge v.1]
1. One or other of several species of plants belonging to the extensive genus Euphorbia, many of which are characterized by an acrid milky juice possessing purgative or medicinal properties.
| α 1387 Sinon. Barthol. (Anecd. Oxon.) 11 Anabulla, spurge. c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) v, Þei wroteth so depe in þe grounde, tille þei fynde þe rootes of þe ferne and of þe spurge and of oþer rootes. c 1450 M.E. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 219 Tak betoyne, sawge, heihoue, vyolet, spurge, egrimoyne & hony. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. (1568) 31 Spurge purgeth thynne fleme vehemently. 1585 H. Lloyd Treas. Health K iij, Adde thereto Scamony, the herbe called spurge, and an ox gall. 1625 Hart Anat. Ur. ii. xi. 125 It was nothing else but a certaine kind of Spurge. 1651 Biggs New Disp. ¶79 Celandin weepeth a golden juice, and spurge a milky one. 1762 B. Stillingfleet Misc. Tracts 98 The spurge, that is noxious to man, is a most wholesome nourishment to the caterpillar. 1794 T. Gisborne Walks Forest (1796) 6 Changeful spurge, On redden'd stem with poisonous milk imbued. 1813 Sir H. Davy Agr. Chem. (1814) 245 When a stalk of spurge..is separated by two incisions from its leaves and roots, the milky fluid flows through both sections. 1872 Tennyson Last Tourn. 356 That he can make Figs out of thistles,..milk From burning spurge. |
| β c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 645 Hic tintimalius,..spowrge. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xlviii. 368 (Addit. MS.), Then the Crow toke Onyonus and Spourge, and made þerof a playster. 1483 Cath. Angl. 356/1 Spowrge, herba est. 1539 Elyot Cast. Helthe (1541) 84 b, Spourge of the garden one handful. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 358 All the kindes of Tithymal or Spourge are most commonly in flower in June and July. |
| γ 14.. Nom. in Wr.-Wülcker 713 Hec spurgia, a sporge. 1486 Bk. St. Albans, Hawking cv, Also take smale flambe rotis and polipodi and the cornes of sporge. 1530 Palsgr. 274/2 Sporge an herbe, espovrge. |
b. With various distinguishing epithets.
For
caper,
Cypress,
myrtle,
Portland,
sea,
sun,
wood spurge, etc., see these words.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens 363 Peplos..is called in English of some Wartwurt,..also Pety Spurge. 1597 Gerarde Herbal cxxxii. 407 The sixt [kind of spurge is called] Pine Spurge; the seuenth shrub Spurge, the eight tree Mirtle Spurge..; the eleventh tree Spurge; the twelfe Broad leafed Spurge; the thirteenth and fowerteenth Quacksaluers Spurge. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 202 If a woman be..troubled with a fever, let her take half a chœnix of pettispurge, and..nettle-seed. 1611 Cotgr., Espurge, Garden Spurge. 1671 Skinner Etymol. I iii 2/2 Land-leapers-Spurge, Esula major. a 1705 Ray Synop. Stirp. (1724) 312 Tithymalus segetum longifolius,..Long-leaved Corn Spurge. c 1711 Petiver Gazophyl. viii. §80 Luzone Dwarf Spurge. 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 328 Spurge, Bastard, Euphorbia. 1777 Jacob Catal. Plants 113 Euphorbia Exigua, Dwarf Spurge, Small annual Spurge. Ibid. 114 Euphorbia platyphyllos, Broad leaved Spurge. 1796 Withering Brit. Pl. (ed. 3) II. 447 Euphorbia peplis, Purple Spurge. Ibid. 450 E. hyberna, Knotty-rooted Spurge. Ibid. 451 E. characias, Red Spurge. 1865 Thoreau Cape Cod vi. 101 The plants which I noticed here and there on the pure sandy shelf,..were Sea Rocket,..Saltwort,..Seaside Spurge (Euphorbia polygonifolia). |
2. A particular species or plant of this. Chiefly in
pl.| 1715 Phil. Trans. XXIX. 281 Dr. Tournefort says the Root of this Spurge is a proper Cathartick in Hydropick and Cachectic Bodies. 1741 Compl. Family-Piece ii. iii. 374 Double Lady's-smock, Spurges of several kinds. 1785 Martyn Lett. Bot. xx. (1794) 283 Spurges having little beauty, they are seldom cultivated in gardens. 1846 Lindley Veget. Kingd. 275 If..we consider the separation of sexes a great physiological character, the Order of Spurges will join that of Nettles. 1886 Pall Mall G. 27 Aug. 4/1 If the stem or leaf of one of these spurges be broken, a fluid as white as milk will immediately run from it. |
3. Applied, with distinguishing epithet, to a few plants related to or resembling spurge.
| 1854 Grisebach Flora Brit. W. Ind. 788/1 Spurge, branched, Ernodea litoralis. 1891 Cent. Dict. s.v. Pachysandra, The plant [P. procumbens] has also been called Alleghany-mountain spurge. Ibid., Slipper-spurge, the slipper-plant. |
4. As a moth-name (
cf. spurge-moth in 5).
| 1832 J. Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & Moths 80 The Spurge (Acronycta Euphorbiæ)..feeds on the Euphorbia esula, and E. cyparissias. |
5. attrib., as
spurge family,
spurge genus,
spurge oil,
spurge order, etc.;
† spurge comfit, a purgative comfit or sweet;
spurge Daphne, the spurge laurel;
spurge flax,
hawk,
-moth,
-nettle (see
quots.);
spurge-olive, the shrub
Daphne mezereum;
† spurge thyme, petty spurge,
Euphorbia peplis.
| 1619 Dalton Countr. Just. xciii. (1630) 241 So if one giveth to another *Spurge Comfits or other such thing in sport and not in malice. |
| 1872 Oliver Elem. Bot. ii. 226 The berries of..*Spurge Daphne are also said to be poisonous to all animals excepting birds. |
| 1849 Balfour Man. Bot. §1016 Euphorbiaceæ, the *Spurge Family. |
| 1678 Phillips (ed. 4), *Spurge-flax (Thymelæa), a sort of shrub, whereon grows that rich berry called Coccum Gnidium. 1796 Withering Brit. Pl. (ed. 3) II. 377 Mezereon. Spurge Olive. Spurge Flax. 1887 Bentley Man. Bot. 660 The bark of Daphne Gnidium, Spurge Flax, is likewise official in the Paris Codex. |
| 1866 Treas. Bot. 476 Euphorbia, the *spurge genus, which gives its name to the order Euphorbiaceæ, comprises a very large number of species. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Butterfl. & Moths 25 The *Spurge Hawk (Deilephila Euphorbiæ)..feeds on various kinds of spurge. |
| 1849 Kingsley Misc. (1859) II. 269 The great white *spurge-moths..whirred like humming⁓birds over our heads. 1868 J. G. Wood Homes without H. xiv. 293 These are moths, belonging to the genus Acronycta, and popularly called Spurge Moths on account of the plant on which they reside. |
| 1847 Darlington Amer. Weeds (1860) 289 Cnidoscolus stimulosa.., Stinging Cnidoscolus. *Spurge⁓nettle. Tread-softly. |
| 1836 J. M. Gully Magendie's Formul. (ed. 2) 162 Physical Properties of *Spurge Oil. It very much resembles castor oil, and has even the same colour. |
| 1668 Wilkins Real Charact. 109 Bacciferous sempervirent shrubs:..*Spurge Olive (Thymælæa). a 1689 A. Behn tr. Cowley's Plants C.'s Wks. 1711 III. 339 Two lofty Plants or flowery Giants stand, Spurge-Olive one [etc.]. 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 328 Spurge Olive, Daphne. 1796 [see spurge flax above]. 1802–3 tr. Pallas's Trav. (1812) I. 36 The most remarkable, perhaps, are..the Daphne mezereum, or spurge-olive; and the mistletoe. |
| 1887 Bentley Man. Bot. 672 Euphorbiaceæ, the *Spurge Order. |
| 1548 Turner Names Herbes (E.D.S.) 60, I neuer sawe peplum but once in Bonony; it had litle smal leaues lyke tyme, and in other facion lyke spourge, wherfore it may be called *spourge tyme in englishe, tyl we can fynde a better name. |
▪ II. † spurge, n.2 Obs.—1 [f. spurge v.2] A shoot or sprout.
| 1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentlem. 138 Cabbages of such huge proportion, as the very leaves thereof (so largely extended were the spurges) might..give shadow to five hundred men. |
▪ III. spurge, v.1 Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 4–6
spourge, 5
spowrge, 6
sporge; 5
spurgyn, 5–7, 9
dial. spurge.
[ad. OF. espurgier:—L. expurgāre: cf. purge v.1] † 1. trans. To cleanse, purify (a person, the body, etc.); to free from or rid
of impurity. Also
fig., to clear of guilt (
= purge v.
1 5).
Obs.| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 10917 Of flyes men mow hem weyl spourge. a 1320 Sir Tristr. 2226 At londen on a day Mark wald spourge þe quen. 1483 in Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 3 When that a king annoynted ys deceassed,..his body [is] spurged. 1530 Palsgr. 729/1, I sporge, I clense, jespurge. Ibid., I shall do the best I can to sporge it. 1546 in Strype Ann. Ref. (1824) VI. 267 Commandment was given to the apothecaries..and others, to do their duties in spurging, cleansing, bowelling [etc.],..the said corps. |
† 2. With
away or
out. To remove by some cleansing or purifying process.
Obs. rare.
| a 1395 Hylton Scala Perf. ii. xxix. (1494), Vntyll the wyne hath boylled & spourged oute all vnclennesse. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour i ij, Another ensample I shalle telle yow of Mary Magdalene whyche dyd wasshe and spurge awey her synnes and mysdedes by the water of her eyen. |
3. intr. Of ale, wine, or other fermenting liquor: To emit or throw off impure matter by fermentation; to cleanse or purify itself in this way; to ferment or ‘work’.
Cf. purge v.
1 7.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 32/2 Bermyn, or spurgyn as ale, or other lyke, spumo. c 1440 Gesta Rom. xlv. 364 (Addit. MS.), A mouse on a tyme felle into a barell of newe ale, that spourgid, and myght not come oute. 1530 Palsgr. 731/1 This ale spurgeth a great deale better for the cariage. 1577 Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 184 The hony,..after the straining,..worketh like newe wine, and spurgeth. 1658 tr. Porta's Nat. Magick iv. xi. 135 When these liquors are incorporated together, they wax hot, and begin to spurge. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss., Spurge,..to emit yeast from beer, when it is first tunned. |
| fig. 1626 B. Jonson Staple of N. Induct. (1905) 7 Yonder he is within,..rowling himselfe vp and downe like a tun, i' the midst of 'hem, and spurges, neuer did vessel of wort or wine worke so! |
b. refl. Of a vessel.
| 14.. Medical MS. in Anglia XIX. 85 Take of eytherys water and put it in-to sondre vessel; sythen put to eyþer barlyche and horssys dong, and whether wessel sporgyth hym, is noȝt bareyn. |
† c. To come or rise
up in fermentation or ‘working’.
Obs.—1| 1634 J. Levett Ordering of Bees 50 And if any rosse worketh or spurgeth up. |
4. To empty or relieve the bowels by evacuation.
Cf. purge v.
1 4 b.
| 1530 Palsgr. 729/1, I sporge, I have a great laxe, jay la foyre. Ibid., 730/2, I spurge, as a man dothe at the foundement after he is deed. a 1643 Cartwright Siege v. vi, The body's something noysome; 'tis a stale one; Good troth it spurgeth very monstrously. |
▪ IV. † spurge, v.2 Obs. Also
spourge.
[Ultimately ad. L. exporgĕre, -porrigĕre (cf. It. sporgere): see purge v.2] 1. intr. Of a tree: To shoot or sprout.
rare—1.
| 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 243 In that tyme [spring] al thynnges begynnyth to renoue;.. the tren clothyn ham wyth lewis, botonyth and spourgyth. |
2. To spout or gush
out in a stream.
b. trans. To cast
forth copiously.
| c 1470 Henry Wallace vi. 167 Than fra the stowmpe the blud out spurgyt fast. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 59 Not so great a ruffling the riuer strong flasshye reteyneth Through the breach owt spurging. Ibid. iii. 77 They gripte in tallants the meat and furth spourged a stincking Foule carrayne sauoure. |