brown-eyed Susan

[ broun-ahyd ]

noun

1. a composite plant, Rudbeckia triloba, of the southeastern U.S., having a single flower with yellow rays darkening to an orange orbrown at the base and a brownish-black disk.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brown-eyed Susan¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

Mr. Woltz wanted to prepare me for the scene that greeted us when we walked through the gateway on Williamsburg Street West: not a traditional park in any sense, but a field of tall grasses sprinkled with blazing star, brown-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, butterflyweed, Queen Anne’s lace and fleabane.

From New York Times

Take a large flower, like the brown-eyed Susan or the sunflower, and draw it in different positions.

From Project Gutenberg