mallow

American

[mal-oh] / ˈmæl oʊ /

noun

any of various plants of the genus Malva, including several popular garden plants, as the musk mallow.

mallow British

/ ˈmæləʊ /

noun

any plant of the malvaceous genus Malva, esp M. sylvestris of Europe, having purple, pink, or white flowers See also dwarf mallow musk mallow
any of various related plants, such as the marsh mallow, rose mallow, Indian mallow, and tree mallow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mallow

before 1000; Middle English malue, Old English mealwe < Latin malva

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the early morning, the east-facing yard is alive with butterflies and bees, dancing over electric-purple whorls of celestial blue sage and sunny Palmer’s Indian mallow growing over the fence.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

Now, this green, a variety of mallow, is making up an outsize portion of many Gazans’ diets by providing an inexpensive way to blunt hunger.

From New York Times • Apr. 7, 2024

In Jabaliya, a refugee camp near Gaza City, families scrounged for mallow leaves to make a thin broth to break the daily Ramadan fast.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 6, 2024

The deserted village is slowly being taken over by vast banks of wild mallow.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024

Desert mallow spread out peach-colored blooms in pockets of soil, and everywhere late- blooming cliff roses swarmed with bees.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023