Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Astragalus"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Astragalus \As*trag"a*lus\, n. [L. See {Astragal}.]
1. (Anat.) The ankle bone, or hock bone; the bone of the
tarsus which articulates with the tibia at the ankle.
2. (Bot.) A genus of papilionaceous plants, of the tribe
{Galege[ae]}, containing numerous species, two of which
are called, in English, {milk vetch} and {licorice vetch}.
{Gum tragacanth} is obtained from different oriental
species, particularly the {A. gummifer} and {A. verus}.
3. (Arch.) See {Astragal}, 1.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Astragalus
n 1: large genus of annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of north
temperate regions; largest genus in the family
Leguminosae [syn: {Astragalus}, {genus Astragalus}]
2: the bone in the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to
form the ankle joint [syn: {anklebone}, {astragal}, {talus}]
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