The Collaborative International Dictionary
Hyssop \Hys"sop\, n. [OE. hysope, ysope, OF. ysope, F. hysope, hyssope, L. hysopum, hyssopum, hyssopus, Gr. ?, ?, an aromatic plant, fr. Heb. [=e]sov.] A plant ( Hyssopus officinalis). The leaves have an aromatic smell, and a warm, pungent taste.
Note: The hyssop of Scripture is supposed to be a species of caper ( Capparis spinosa), but probably the name was used for several different plants.
Caper \Ca"per\, n. [F. c[^a]pre, fr. L. capparis, Gr. ?; cf. Ar. & Per. al-kabar.]
The pungent grayish green flower bud of the European and Oriental caper ( Capparis spinosa), much used for pickles.
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(Bot.) A plant of the genus Capparis; -- called also caper bush, caper tree.
Note: The Capparis spinosa is a low prickly shrub of the Mediterranean coasts, with trailing branches and brilliant flowers; -- cultivated in the south of Europe for its buds. The Capparis sodada is an almost leafless spiny shrub of central Africa (Soudan), Arabia, and southern India, with edible berries.
Bean caper. See Bran caper, in the Vocabulary.
Caper sauce, a kind of sauce or catchup made of capers.
Usage examples of "capparis spinosa".
Royle disagrees, and identifies the Hyssop of the Bible with the Caper-plant (Capparis spinosa) which grows in the Jordan Valley, in Egypt, and the Desert, in the gorges of Lebanon, and in the Kedron Valley.