Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Definition of Poppy - 8 dictionary results

pop⋅py

[pop-ee]
–noun, plural -pies for 1, 2, 4–7.
1. any plant of the genus Papaver, having showy, usually red flowers. Compare poppy family.
2. any of several related or similar plants, as the California poppy or the prickly poppy.
3. an extract, as opium, from such a plant.
4. Also called poppy red. an orangish red resembling scarlet.
5. Architecture. poppyhead.
6. an artificial flower resembling a poppy, esp. one received as evidence of a contribution to a fund for disabled war veterans.
7. tall poppy, Australian. someone of preeminence or with a large income; important and powerful person.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE popæg, papig ≪ VL *papāvum, for L papāver


pop⋅py⋅like, adjective
pop·py   (pŏp'ē)   
n.   pl. pop·pies
  1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Papaver, having nodding buds with four crumpled petals, showy red, orange, or white flowers, a milky juice, and capsules that dehisce through terminal pores.
  2. Any of several similar or related plants, such as the California poppy.
  3. An extract from the sap of unripe poppy seedpods, used in medicine and narcotics.
  4. A vivid red to reddish orange.

[Middle English popi, from Old English popig, probably alteration of Vulgar Latin *papāvum, alteration of Latin papāver.]

Poppy

Pop"py\, n.; pl. Poppies. [OE. popy, AS. popig, L. papaver.] (Bot.) Any plant or species of the genus Papaver, herbs with showy polypetalous flowers and a milky juice. From one species (Papaver somniferum) opium is obtained, though all the species contain it to some extent; also, a flower of the plant. See Illust. of Capsule.

California poppy (Bot.), any yellow-flowered plant of the genus Eschscholtzia.

Corn poppy. See under Corn.

Horn, or Horned, poppy. See under Horn.

Poppy bee (Zo["o]l.), a leaf-cutting bee (Anthocopa papaveris) which uses pieces cut from poppy petals for the lining of its cells; -- called also upholsterer bee.

Prickly poppy (Bot.), Argemone Mexicana, a yellow-flowered plant of the Poppy family, but as prickly as a thistle.

Poppy seed, the seed the opium poppy (P. somniferum).

Spatling poppy (Bot.), a species of Silene (S. inflata). See Catchfly.

Poppy

Pop"py\, Poppyhead \Pop"py*head`\, n. [F. poup['e]e doll, puppet. See Puppet.] (Arch.) A raised ornament frequently having the form of a final. It is generally used on the tops of the upright ends or elbows which terminate seats, etc., in Gothic churches.
Language Translation for : Poppy
Spanish: amapola,
German: der Mohn,
Japanese: けし

poppy 
O.E. popæg, from W.Gmc. *papua-, probably from V.L. *papavum, from L. papaver "poppy," perhaps a reduplicated form of imitative base *pap- "to swell." Associated with battlefields and war dead at least since Waterloo (1815).

Main Entry: pop·py
Pronunciation: 'päp-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural poppies
: any herb of the genus Papaver(family Papaveraceae, the poppy family); especially : OPIUM POPPY

poppy pop·py (pŏp'ē)
n.

  1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Papaver, having showy red, orange, or white flowers, a milky juice, and capsules that dehisce through terminal pores.
  2. An extract from the sap of unripe poppy seedpods, used in medicine and narcotics.

poppy

any of several ornamental flowering plants of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), especially species of the genus Papaver, which have lobed or dissected leaves, milky sap, often nodding buds on solitary stalks, and four- to six-petaled flowers with numerous stamens surrounding the ovary. The two sepals drop off as the petals unfold. The ovary develops into a spherical capsule topped by a disk formed by the stigmas. The many small seeds escape from pores beneath the disk when the capsule is shaken by the wind

Learn more about poppy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Search another word or see Poppy on Thesaurus | Reference