# spurge

> English word · Noun · IPA /spɜːdʒ/

## Definitions
1. Any plant of the genus Euphorbia, a diverse genus of over 2,000 species.
2. Any plant of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.
3. A plant resembling those in genus Euphorbia in some aspect of its appearance.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Old French espurgebor.
Middle English spurge
English spurge
Inherited from Middle English spurge, from Old French espurge, from espurgier (“to purge”), from Latin expurgo (“I purge”); the bitter milky sap of these plants was formerly used as a purgative.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/spurge