ASTRAGALUS (astragali)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: astragali   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Astragalus mean? 

• ASTRAGALUS (noun)
  The noun ASTRAGALUS has 2 senses:

1. large genus of annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of north temperate regions; largest genus in the family Leguminosae

2. the bone in the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint

  Familiarity information: ASTRAGALUS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ASTRAGALUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Large genus of annual or perennial herbs or shrubs of north temperate regions; largest genus in the family Leguminosae

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

Astragalus; genus Astragalus

Hypernyms ("Astragalus" is a kind of...):

rosid dicot genus (a genus of dicotyledonous plants)

Meronyms (members of "Astragalus"):

milk-vetch; milk vetch (any of various plants of the genus Astragalus)

Holonyms ("Astragalus" is a member of...):

Papilionoideae; subfamily Papilionoideae (alternative name used in some classification systems for the family Papilionaceae)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The bone in the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

anklebone; astragal; astragalus; talus

Hypernyms ("astragalus" is a kind of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

Holonyms ("astragalus" is a part of...):

ankle; ankle joint; articulatio talocruralis; mortise joint (a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus)

Derivation:

astragalar (of or relating to the anklebone)

 Context examples 

A traditional Chinese herbal medicine derived from the plant Astragalus membranaceus with potential immunopotentiation activity.

(Jin Fu Kang, NCI Thesaurus)

A flat, triangular fibrous tissue connected to the inner malleolus, navicular bone and ligament, os calcis and astragalus.

(Internal Lateral Ligament of the Ankle, NCI Thesaurus)

An injectable form of a polysaccharide isolated from the radix of Astragalus membranaceus (PG2), used in traditional Chinese medicine, with potential hematopoiesis inducing and immunomodulating activities.

(Injectable Astragalus membranaceus Polysaccharide, NCI Thesaurus)

An herbal remedy containing Astragalus membranaceus, Panax ginseng, Atractylodes chinensis Koidz, Cimicifuga foetida, A. macrocephala Koidz, Alisma orientale Juzep, and Citrus reticulata Blanco, with potential immunomodulating, anti-oxidant and anticachexia activities.

(Astragalus-based Formulation Qing Shu Yi Qi Tang, NCI Thesaurus)