sunflower

[ 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 inches (30 centimeters) wide, and edible seeds that yield an oil with a wide variety of uses: the state flower of Kansas.

  2. Also called as·ter [as-ter] /ˈæs tər/ .Furniture. a conventionalized flower motif carved in the center panels of a Connecticut chest.

Origin of sunflower

1
First recorded in 1555–65; translation of Latin flōs sōlis “flower of the sun”

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

How to use sunflower in a sentence

  • And she watched the tangled sunflowers dying, the chrysanthemums coming out, and the dahlias.

    Sons and Lovers | David Herbert Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for sunflower

sunflower

/ (ˈsʌnˌflaʊə) /


noun
  1. 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): See also Jerusalem artichoke

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