dandelion

/'dændilaiən/

Thân thiện

A child blows on a dandelion to make a wish.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A common wild plant with bright yellow flowers and deeply notched leaves: A dandelion is a herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Taraxacum. It is characterized by a long taproot, a rosette of jagged leaves, and a single, bright yellow flower head that matures into a spherical, fluffy seed head.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The lawn was covered in dandelions.
  • Children love to blow the fluffy seed heads of a dandelion.
  • Dandelion leaves can be used in salads.

Advanced Usage

• "to blow a dandelion clock": This phrase refers to the childhood practice of blowing the fluffy seed head of a dandelion to tell the time (e.g., the number of puffs needed to blow all the seeds away is said to be the hour).
  • We used to tell the time by blowing a dandelion clock.

Variants and Related Words

• Dandelion greens (noun phrase): The edible leaves of the dandelion plant.
  • Dandelion greens are slightly bitter but nutritious.

Synonyms

• Taraxacum (noun): The scientific genus name for dandelion.
• Blowball (noun, informal): Another name for the fluffy seed head of a dandelion.
• Lion's tooth (noun, from French ): A literal translation of the origin of the word "dandelion."

Related Phrases

• "As common as a dandelion": An idiom describing something very widespread or ordinary.
  • That idea is as common as a dandelion.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The word "dandelion" refers specifically to the plant. It is not typically used with other metaphorical meanings. All common usages relate directly to the botanical entity.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any of several herbs of the genus Taraxacum having long tap roots and deeply notched leaves and bright yellow flowers followed by fluffy seed balls

Từ đồng nghĩa

• blowball