Dictionary entry

Knotgrass

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Knot″grass′ (?), n.(Bot.) (a) a common weed with jointed stems (Polygonum aviculare); knotweed. (b) The dog grass. See under Dog.

☞ An infusion of Polygonum aviculare was once supposed to have the effect of stopping the growth of an animal, and hence it was called, as by Shakespeare, “hindering knotgrass.”

We want a boy extremely for this function,

Kept under for a year with milk and knotgrass. Beau. & Fl.