comfrey

English

A comfrey plant

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English cumfiria, from Latin (herba) cōnfirma in Pseudo-Apuleius, also called cōnsolida, cōnserva, cōnferva, from conferveo (“to boil together”); from the use of the plant in tea to aid in healing bones.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkʌm.fɹi/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

comfrey (countable and uncountable, plural comfreys)

  1. Any of several species of perennial herbs of the genus Symphytum, often specifically common comfrey (Symphytum officinale).
    • 2007 April 25, Kim Severson, “Farmer, Cookie Maker, Ecologist and, Yes, the Future King”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 July 2025:
      It thrives on compost and natural fertilizers brewed from comfrey or seaweed and uses only rain, natural groundwater or wastewater purified through a system of reed beds.

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