butterfly weed

[ buht-er-flahy weed ]

noun
  1. Also called or·ange milk·weed [awr-inj milk-weed, or-] /ˈɔr ɪndʒ ˈmɪlkˌwid, ˈɒr-/ . a North American milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, having clusters of bright orange flowers.

  2. an erect North American plant, Gaura coccinea, of the evening primrose family, having wandlike spikes of white to pink flowers turning red with age.

Origin of butterfly weed

1
An Americanism dating back to1810–20

Words Nearby butterfly weed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use butterfly weed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for butterfly weed

butterfly weed

noun
  1. a North American asclepiadaceous plant, Asclepias tuberosa (or A. decumbens), having flat-topped clusters of bright orange flowers: Also called: orange milkweed, pleurisy root

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