sunflower

[suhn-flou-er] Origin

sun·flow·er

[suhn-flou-er]
noun
1.
any of various composite plants of the genus Helianthus, as H. annuus, having showy, yellow-rayed flower heads often 12 inches (30 cm) wide, and edible seeds that yield an oil with a wide variety of uses: the state flower of Kansas.
2.
Also called aster. Furniture. a conventionalized flower motif carved in the center panels of a Connecticut chest.

Origin:
1555–65; translation of Latin flōs sōlis flower of the sun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Sunflower is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sunflower (ˈsʌnˌflaʊə)
 
n
1.  See also Jerusalem artichoke any of several American plants of the genus Helianthus, esp H. annuus, having very tall thick stems, large flower heads with yellow rays, and seeds used as food, esp for poultry: family Asteraceae (composites)
2.  sunflower seed oil the oil extracted from sunflower seeds, used as a salad oil, in the manufacture of margarine, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sunflower
1562, "heliotrope;" in ref. to the helianthus (introduced to Europe 1510 from America by the Spaniards) it is attested from 1597.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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