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 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

He said people were living on khobiza — a type of mallow that grew in open fields — and any potatoes left they could dig up.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024

Communities like this are an excellent source of knowledge, suggestions and recipes, such as swapping mallow for expensive kale when you make kale chips.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023

I had quit my search for the mallow root in my haste to return to the castle, and I tried to ignore the pricking of guilt, trusting that Elnora would forgive my broken promise.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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