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buttercup

[ buht-er-kuhp ]
/ ˈbʌt ərˌkʌp /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR buttercup ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

babe, youngster, child, chick, toddler, kid, deduction, suckling, nipper, bambino, button, nursling, tot, newborn, bundle, bairn, dividend, cherub, dumpling, write-off

Nearby words

butter-fingered, butterball, butterbread, butterbur, buttercream, buttercup, buttercup family, buttercup squash, butterfat, butterfat cheque, butterfield

Origin of buttercup

1505–15; butter + cup, from color and shape of flower
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for buttercup

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

Word Origin and History for buttercup

buttercup

n.

type of small wildflower with a yellow bloom, 1777, from a merger of two older names, gold-cups and butterflower. See butter (n.) + cup (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper