purslane

[ purs-leyn, -lin ]

noun

1. a low, trailing plant, Portulaca oleracea, having yellow flowers, used as a salad plant and potherb. Compare purslane family.
2. any other plant of the purslane family.

purslane

/ ˈpɜːslɪn; -leɪn /

noun

1. a weedy portulacaceous plant, Portulaca oleracea, with small yellow flowers and fleshy leaves, which are used in salads and as a potherb
2. any of various similar or related plants, such as sea purslane and water purslane

Word History and Origins

Origin of purslane¹

1350–1400; Middle English purcelan ( e ) < Middle French porcelaine < Late Latin porcillāgin- (stem of porcillāgō ), for Latin porcillāca, variant of portulāca portulaca

Word History and Origins

Origin of purslane¹

C14 purcelane, from Old French porcelaine, from Late Latin porcillāgō, from Latin porcillāca, variant of portulāca

Example Sentences

White clover and edible purslane both attract beneficial insects, for instance.

From Seattle Times

Across the garden plots: chrysanthemum leaves, purple sugar peas, goji berries and common purslane, a leafy vegetable that is eaten stir-fried or put into salads.

From Seattle Times

Even in summer, Reem cycles in grilled or raw corn, pomegranate seeds, pickled cherries, or fresh purslane.

From Salon

On the parking strip, she planted white sage, rock purslane, germander sage, ice plants and scattered Theodore Payne’s roadside wildflower mix, which was a magnet for bees before the gophers went after the plants.

From Los Angeles Times

Specifically, the meticulously rendered purslane, creeping Charlie and ragweed are translations of those Assiff observed last year at All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, where the particularly robust overgrowth flourished under negligence.

From New York Times