ˈlīthrəm noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek lythron gore; from the color of the flowers; akin to Latin lutum mud — more at pollute
: a genus (the type of the family Lythraceae) of herbs and subshrubs having purple or rose-pink flowers with 4 to 8 petals and a 2-celled capsule — see loosestrife 2