celandine

[ sel-uhn-dahyn, -deen ]

/ ˈsɛl ənˌdaɪn, -ˌdin /

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noun

Also called greater celandine, swallowwort. an Old World plant, Chelidonium majus, of the poppy family, having yellow flowers.

Also called lesser celandine. an Old World plant, Ranunculus ficaria, of the buttercup family, having fleshy, heart-shaped leaves and solitary yellow flowers.

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Origin of celandine

1275–1325; Middle English selandyne, variant of celydon<Latin chelīdonia greater celandine, chelīdonium lesser celandine <Greek chelīdónion, derivative of chelīdṓn swallow; said to be so called because it blooms when the swallows return in spring

Words nearby celandine

Cela, celadon, celadonite, Celaeno, Celan, celandine, celandine poppy, Celanese, celature, Celaya, -cele

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

How to use celandine in a sentence

The juice of the greater celandine will adorn you with the most beautiful eruptions and tumors.
The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar|Maurice Leblanc
She's the best groomed one of the whole stud, though why you call her Celandine I can't think.
Penelope's English Experiences|Kate Douglas Wiggin
By now the sun was up, and the celandine calices expanded into perfect golden stars.
Lives of the Fur Folk|M. D. Haviland
The lovely, celandine-yellow morning of the open sea, paling towards a rare, sweet blue!
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence

From a human point of view a celandine bed is the most beautiful thing.
Lives of the Fur Folk|M. D. Haviland

British Dictionary definitions for celandine

celandine

/ (ˈsɛlənˌdaɪn) /

noun

either of two unrelated plants, Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) or Ranunculus ficaria (lesser celandine)See greater celandine, lesser celandine

Word Origin for celandine

C13: earlier celydon, from Latin chelīdonia (the plant), from chelīdonius of the swallow, from Greek khelidōn swallow; the plant's season was believed to parallel the migration of swallows

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