Silphium

Quick meaning: Silphium is a noun meaning (historical) A plant, thought to be extinct, used in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in cooking and as a contraceptive.

Meaning

(historical) A plant, thought to be extinct, used in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in cooking and as a contraceptive.

Example Sentences

Of all the mysteries of ancient Rome, silphium is among the most intriguing. Romans loved the herb as much as we love chocolate. They used silphium as perfume, as medicine, as an aphrodisiac and turned it into a condiment, called laser, that they poured on to almost every dish.

Word Forms

• silphiums
• silphia
• silfium
• silphion

Synonyms for silphium

Depending on context, synonyms include laserwort.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include laserpicium, rosinwood, pilotweed, silicle, pigweed, sweetleaf.

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