celandine

(selən dīn′, -dēn′, -din)

noun

  1. a weedy plant (Chelidonium majus) of the poppy family, with deeply divided leaves and yellow flowers and juice
  2. a perennial plant (Ranunculus ficaria) of the buttercup family, with yellow flowers

Origin: ME & OFr celidoine < ML celidonia < L chelidonia < Gr chelidonion, swallowwort < chelidōn, a swallow < IE echoic base *ghel- > yell

See celandine in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. A perennial Eurasian herb (Chelidonium majus) having deeply divided leaves, showy yellow flowers, and yellow-orange latex. Also called swallowwort.
  2. The lesser celandine.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English celidoine

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Medieval Latin celidōnia

Origin: , from Latin chelīdonia

Origin: , feminine of chelīdonium

Origin: , from Greek khelīdonion

Origin: , from khelīdōn, swallow (from the association by ancient writers of the blossoming of the plant with the return of the swallows in spring); see ghel-1 in Indo-European roots

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celandine

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