sȯˈsu̇rēə noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, after H. Bénédict de Saussure died 1799 and his son N. Théodore de Saussure died 1845 Swiss naturalists
: a genus of herbs (family Compositae) found mostly in temperate and cool regions of Eurasia with heads of blue or purple flowers that resemble thistles — see costusroot