chickweed
Americannoun
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any plant of the genus Stellaria, of the pink family, as S. media, a common Old World weed whose leaves and seeds are relished by birds.
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any of various allied plants.
noun
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any of various caryophyllaceous plants of the genus Stellaria, esp S. media, a common garden weed with small white flowers
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any of various similar and related plants of the genus Cerastium
Etymology
Origin of chickweed
First recorded in 1325–75, chickweed is from Middle English chiken wede. See chick, weed 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even more surprising, two temperate plant species from the Northern Hemisphere, annual meadow grass and mouse-ear chickweed, colonised sites faster than any other species.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2024
Forget the impending dandelions and violets; I’m talking about established winter weeds, whose roots now go deep — interlopers like henbit, chickweed, bittercress and ground ivy.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2021
Stinging nettles, mallow, chickweed, purslane, and other “weeds” are nothing more than free food.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2013
John Shields, the chef at Townhouse in Chilhowie, Va., festoons plates with chickweed and makes juice from wild grass.
From New York Times • Jul. 27, 2011
On a late June day when the cliff side was green and yellow with chickweed, Chup caught a passing starling on the wing.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
