pigweed
Noun: 1. A common weedy plant (genus Amaranthus): A fast-growing, broadleaf plant often considered a weed in gardens and agricultural fields. Some species have leaves that can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable (potherb), and their seeds can be used as a grain. 2. A weedy European plant (Chenopodium album): Also known as lamb's quarters or goosefoot, this plant is widespread and often considered a weed. Its leaves are also sometimes used as a potherb.
The word "pigweed" is used to refer to specific types of common, weedy plants. It is a standard common name in botany, gardening, and agriculture. * As a common name, it is not capitalized unless it starts a sentence. * It is typically used as a countable noun (e.g., a pigweed, several pigweeds).
- Noun:
- The farmer spent the afternoon pulling pigweed from the soybean field.
- Some varieties of pigweed are edible and nutritious.
- That garden is overrun with pigweeds.
- As a modifier: The term can be used attributively to describe other nouns.
- The field had a severe pigweed infestation.
- They discussed pigweed management strategies.
- Botanical Names: The common name "pigweed" refers primarily to plants in the genus (e.g., redroot pigweed, smooth pigweed) and also to .
- Regional Names: In different regions, the same plants may be called by other common names, such as lambsquarters (for ) or amaranth (for cultivated varieties of ).
The core meaning of "pigweed" is botanical. It does not have common idiomatic or metaphorical meanings outside of referring to the plant itself, often with connotations of being a nuisance or, alternatively, a useful wild edible.
- Weed (general term for an unwanted plant)
- Amaranth (specifically for plants in the genus , though this term often refers to cultivated varieties)
- Lamb's quarters (specifically for )
- Goosefoot (another name for plants in the genus )
There are no common idioms that use the word "pigweed."
There are no phrasal verbs that use the word "pigweed."
- leaves collected from the wild
- leaves sometimes used as potherbs; seeds used as cereal; southern United States to Central America; India and China
- common weedy European plant introduced into North America; often used as a potherb