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cuckoopint

 - 3 dictionary results

cuck⋅oo⋅pint

[koo-koo-pahynt, kook-oo-]
–noun
a common European arum, Arum maculatum.
Also called lords-and-ladies.


Origin:
1545–55; apocopated var. of obs. cuckoopintle, late ME cokkupyntel (see cuckoo, pintle ); its spadix is pintle-shaped
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cuck·oo·pint   (kōō'kōō-pīnt', kŏŏk'ōō-)   
n.  A European plant (Arum maculatum) having arrow-shaped leaves, a yellow-green spathe, and scarlet berries. Also called lords-and-ladies.

[From obsolete cuckoopintle, from Middle English cokkupintel : cokku, cuccu, cuckoo; see cuckoo + pintel, penis; see pintle.]
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

cuckoopint

(Arum maculatum), a tuberous herb of the arum family, order Arales, native to southern Europe and northern Africa. Like many other aroids, cuckoopint contains a bitter, sometimes poisonous sap; the red berries are particularly toxic. In England, where it is common in woods and hedgerows, it is also known as wake-robin.

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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