celandine
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ənˌdaɪn, -ˌdin1275–1325; Middle English selandyne, variant of celydon < Latin chelīdonia greater celandine, chelīdonium lesser celandine < Greek chelīdónion, derivative of chelīdṓn swallow; said to be so called because it blooms when the swallows return in spring
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
celandine (ˈsɛlənˌdaɪn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| greater celandine See lesser celandine either of two unrelated plants, Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) or Ranunculus ficaria (lesser celandine) | |
| [C13: earlier celydon, from Latin chelīdonia (the plant), from chelīdonius of the swallow, from Greek khelidōn swallow; the plant's season was believed to parallel the migration of swallows] | |
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celandine
any of several distinct flowering plants of similar appearance, mostly members of the poppy family (Papaveraceae). The greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) is native to deciduous woods of Europe and Asia and is grown as a garden wildflower. Once a valued plant of the Old World herbalist for its reputed power to remove warts, it was formerly known as wartweed. Its orange-coloured sap contains alkaloids that are possibly poisonous. The plants are herbaceous perennials with coarsely toothed divided leaves and four-petaled yellow blooms about 2.5 cm (1 inch) across. Celandine produces narrow, thin seed pods with many small, shiny, black seeds that have a white appendage. The appendage is attractive to ants, which aid in seed dispersal.
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