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snapdragon definition

snap·dragon (-drag′ən)

noun

  1. any of a genus (Antirrhinum) of perennial plants of the figwort family, with showy white, yellow, red, or purplish flowers; esp., a common garden species (A. majus) with white, purple, crimson, etc., saclike, two-lipped, closed flowers
  2. Etymology: in allusion to a fire-breathing dragon

    Historical
    1. a game in which raisins or the like are snatched from a bowl of burning brandy
    2. that which is so snatched

Etymology: snap + dragon: from the mouth-shaped flowers

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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