ˈsərs(h)ēəm noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek kirsion, a thistle, probably from kirsos swollen vein; from the use of the thistle in antiquity in the treatment of swollen veins
: a widely distributed genus of prickly herbs (family Compositae) having the bristles of the pappus plumose — compare carduus ; see bull thistle