celandine

[ sel-uhn-dahyn, -deen ]

noun
  1. Also called greater celandine, swallowwort. an Old World plant, Chelidonium majus, of the poppy family, having yellow flowers.

  2. Also called lesser celandine. an Old World plant, Ranunculus ficaria, of the buttercup family, having fleshy, heart-shaped leaves and solitary yellow flowers.

Origin of celandine

1
1275–1325; Middle English selandyne, variant of celydon<Latin chelīdonia greater celandine, chelīdonium lesser celandine <Greek chelīdónion, derivative of chelīdṓn swallow; said to be so called because it blooms when the swallows return in spring

Words Nearby celandine

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British Dictionary definitions for celandine

celandine

/ (ˈsɛlənˌdaɪn) /


noun
  1. either of two unrelated plants, Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) or Ranunculus ficaria (lesser celandine): See greater celandine, lesser celandine

Origin of celandine

1
C13: earlier celydon, from Latin chelīdonia (the plant), from chelīdonius of the swallow, from Greek khelidōn swallow; the plant's season was believed to parallel the migration of swallows

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