shamrock

[ sham-rok ]

noun
  1. any of several trifoliate plants, as the wood sorrel, Oxalis acetosella, or a small, pink-flowered clover, Trifolium repens minus, but especially Trifolium procumbens, a small, yellow-flowered clover: the national emblem of Ireland.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of shamrock

1
1565–75; <Irish seamróg, equivalent to seamair clover + -óg diminutive suffix

Words Nearby shamrock

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shamrock in a sentence

  • shamrock Jolnes concluded his convincing speech with the smile of a successful artist.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • The lace around her white neck was fastened with a little gold brooch bearing a four-leafed shamrock in emeralds.

    The Pillar of Light | Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for shamrock

shamrock

/ (ˈʃæmˌrɒk) /


noun
  1. a plant having leaves divided into three leaflets, variously identified as the wood sorrel, red clover, white clover, and black medick: the national emblem of Ireland

Origin of shamrock

1
C16: from Irish Gaelic seamrōg, diminutive of seamar clover

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012