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Groundsel

 - 7 dictionary results

ground⋅sel

1[ground-suhl]
–noun
any composite plant of the genus Senecio, esp. S. vulgaris, a common weed having clusters of small yellow disk flowers without rays.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME grundeswili(e), groundeswel, OE grundeswelge, gundeswelge; cf. OE gund pus, swelgan to swallow, absorb (from its use in medicine); the -r- is by folk etymology from assoc. with ground 1

ground⋅sel

2[ground-suhl]
–noun
groundsill.

ground⋅sill

[ground-sil]
–noun
the lowermost sill of a framed structure, esp. one lying close to the ground.
Also, groundsel.


Origin:
1400–50; late ME grownsel. See ground 1 , sill
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Groundsel
ground·sel 1   (ground'səl, groun'-)   
n.  Any of various plants of the genus Senecio, having rayed, usually yellow flower heads.

[Middle English groundeswille, from Old English grundeswylige, alteration (influenced by grund, ground) of gundeswilge : gund, pus + swelgan, to swallow (from its use in reducing abscesses); see swel- in Indo-European roots.]
ground·sel 2   (ground'səl, groun'-)   
n.  Variant of groundsill.
ground·sill   (ground'sĭl')   
n.  The horizontal timber nearest the ground in the frame of a building.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

groundsel

any of about 1,200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs, shrubs, trees, and climbers constituting the genus Senecio of the family Asteraceae, distributed throughout the world. Some species are cultivated as border plants or houseplants, and many species contain alkaloids that are poisonous to grazing animals

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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