cowslip
/ˈkaʊ.slɪp/ noun
Forms cowslips couslip cowslippe
- noun A low-growing plant, Primula veris, with yellow flowers.
- noun Primula deorum, a flowering plant known as God's cowslip and rila cowslip
- noun Primula florindae, a flowering plant known as giant cowslip and Tibetan cowslip
- noun Primula sikkimensis, a flowering plant known as Himalayan cowslip and Sikkim cowslip
- noun (Canada, US, regional) marsh marigold, Caltha palustris, a plant in the buttercup family, growing in wet, boggy locations.
- noun Pulmonaria angustifolia, blue cowslip or narrow-leaved lungwort
Synonyms
paigle herb Peter marsh marigold kingcup mayflower mollyblobs pollyblobs horse blob Primula veris meadow bright May blob water dragon Caltha palustris
Etymology
From Middle English cowslyppe, from Old English cūslyppe (“cowslip”), from cū (“cow”) + slyppe (“paste, viscid substance”), related to Old English slūpan (“to slip, glide, move softly”). Compare oxlip.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A common flower in England (Primula veris) having yellow blossoms and appearing in early spring. It is often cultivated in the United States.
- noun In the United States, the marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), appearing in wet places in early spring and often used as a pot herb.
Etymology [AS. c, c, prob. orig., cow's droppings. Cf. Slop, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cowslip”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details