spearwort

[ speer-wurt, -wawrt ]

noun

1. any of several buttercups having lance-shaped leaves and small flowers, as Ranunculus ambigens, of the eastern U.S., growing in mud.

spearwort

/ ˈspɪəˌwɜːt /

noun

1. See buttercup
   any of several Eurasian ranunculaceous plants of the genus Ranunculus, such as R. flammula ( lesser spearwort ) and R. lingua ( great spearwort ), which grow in wet places and have long narrow leaves and yellow flowers See also buttercup

Word History and Origins

Origin of spearwort¹

before 1000; Middle English sperewort, Old English sperewyrt. See spear ¹, wort ²

Example Sentences

Others, such as the greater spearwort (Ranunculus lingua), have long tongue-shaped leaves.

From Project Gutenberg