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sunflower

 - 3 dictionary results

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 in. (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; trans. of L flōs sōlis flower of the sun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
sunflower (ˈsʌnˌflaʊə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
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
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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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