buttercup

[ buht-er-kuhp ]

/ ˈbʌt ərˌkʌp /

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See synonyms for buttercup on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of numerous plants of the genus Ranunculus, having glossy yellow flowers and deeply cut leaves.

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Origin of buttercup

1505–15; butter + cup, from color and shape of flower

Words nearby buttercup

butter brickle, butterbur, butter clam, butter cookie, buttercream, buttercup, buttercup family, buttercup squash, butterfat, butterfat cheque, Butterfield

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use buttercup in a sentence

At the superficial level, it’s just very helpful in teasing out the buttercups and mallows and primroses and paintbrushes.
The Unexpected Joys of a Shabby Wildflower Guide|jversteegh|September 3, 2021|Outside Online
No matter what was on that flag—a white buttercup, a corn muffin, the skeleton of an alligator, who knows?
We've Got Bigger Problems Than a Confederate Flag|John McWhorter|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hadria was picking the petals off a buttercup one by one, and when she had destroyed one golden corolla, she attacked another.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
What she saw was a bee hovering over a bright yellow buttercup that grew almost within reach of where she sat.
Every Girl's Book|George F. Butler

Be the best buttercup you can, and think no flower above you.
Graded Memory Selections|Various
"Oh rubbish" laughed Helen and she stooped down to pick a buttercup.
Daisy Ashford: Her Book|Daisy Ashford
Did you ever hear the little poem called The Discontented Buttercup?
Tabitha at Ivy Hall|Ruth Alberta Brown

British Dictionary definitions for buttercup

buttercup

/ (ˈbʌtəˌkʌp) /

noun

any of various yellow-flowered ranunculaceous plants of the genus Ranunculus, such as R. acris (meadow buttercup), which is native to Europe but common throughout North AmericaSee also crowfoot, goldilocks (def. 2), spearwort, lesser celandine

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

buttercup

Origin of buttercup

Words nearby buttercup

Words related to buttercup

How to use buttercup in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for buttercup