The Collaborative International Dictionary
Astragalus verus
Astragalus \As*trag"a*lus\, n. [L. See Astragal.]
(Anat.) The ankle bone, or hock bone; the bone of the tarsus which articulates with the tibia at the ankle.
(Bot.) A genus of papilionaceous plants, of the tribe Galege[ae], containing numerous species, two of which are called, in English, milk vetch and licorice vetch. Gum tragacanth is obtained from different oriental species, particularly the Astragalus gummifer and Astragalus verus.
(Arch.) See Astragal, 1.