butterbur

[buht-er-bur]

noun

any of several composite plants of the genus Petasites, having large, woolly leaves said to have been used to wrap butter.

Origin of butterbur

First recorded in 1540–50; butter + bur¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for butterbur

Historical Examples of butterbur

As an instance of his manner we may cite his account of the Butterbur, of which his wood-cut is shown in Text-fig.
Herbals, Their Origin and Evolution
Agnes Arber
Its chief haunts, among the butterbur (Petasites), are in the northern counties from Cheshire to Durham.
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series
Richard South
So, too, the butterbur of the river flowers before its great leaf comes.
Field and Hedgerow
Richard Jefferies
The flower of Butterbur, he writes, is the first to appear, before the plant or leaves.
Herbals, Their Origin and Evolution
Agnes Arber

British Dictionary definitions for butterbur

butterbur

noun

a plant of the Eurasian genus Petasites with fragrant whitish or purple flowers, woolly stems, and leaves formerly used to wrap butter: family Asteraceae (composites)

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