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mallows |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Mallow \Mal"low\, Mallows \Mal"lows\, n. [OE. malwe, AS mealwe, fr L. malva, akin to Gr mala`chh; cf mala`ssein to soften, malako`s soft. Named either from its softening or relaxing properties, or from its soft downy leaves. Cf {Mauve}, {Malachite}.] (Bot.) A genus of plants ({Malva}) having mucilaginous qualities. See {Malvaceous}. Note: The flowers of the common mallow ({M. sylvestris}) are used in medicine. The dwarf mallow ({M. rotundifolia}) is a common weed, and its flattened, dick-shaped fruits are called cheeses by children. Tree mallow ({M. Mauritiana} and {Lavatera arborea}), musk mallow ({M. moschata}), rose mallow or hollyhock, and curled mallow ({M. crispa}), are less commonly seen. {Indian mallow}. See {Abutilon}. {Jew's mallow}, a plant ({Corchorus olitorius}) used as a pot herb by the Jews of Egypt and Syria. {Marsh mallow}. See under {Marsh}. From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: Mallows occurs only in Job 30:4 (R.V., "saltwort"). The word so rendered (malluah, from melah, "salt") most probably denotes the Atriplex halimus of Linnaeus, a species of sea purslane found on the shores of the Dead Sea, as also of the Mediterranean, and in salt marshes. It is a tall shrubby orach, growing to the height sometimes of 10 feet. Its buds and leaves, with those of other saline plants, are eaten by the poor in Palestine.
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