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cuckooflower

 - 3 dictionary results

cuck⋅oo⋅flow⋅er

  [koo-koo-flou-er, kook-oo-]
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–noun
any of various plants, as the lady's-smock or the ragged robin.
Origin:
1570–80; cuckoo + flower, so called because it is found in bloom when the cuckoo is heard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cuck·oo·flow·er   (kōō'kōō-flou'ər, kŏŏk'ōō-)   
n.  

  1. A perennial herb (Cardamine pratensis) in the mustard family, native to the northern temperate regions and having pinnate leaves and pink, purple, or sometimes white flowers. Also called lady's smock.

  2. See ragged robin.


[From the association of its time of blooming with the cuckoo's spring call.]
ragged robin  
n.  A European perennial plant (Lychnis flos-cuculi) having opposite clasping leaves and panicles of reddish or white flowers with deeply lobed petals. Also called cuckooflower.
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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