cocklebur
Americannoun
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any composite plant of the genus Xanthium, comprising coarse weeds with spiny burs.
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the burdock, Arctium lappa.
noun
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any coarse weed of the genus Xanthium, having spiny burs: family Asteraceae (composites)
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the bur of any of these plants
Etymology
Origin of cocklebur
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.
He was struck by the fact that they liked to eat the spiky seed pods of cocklebur plants.
From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2019
With Goldie serving drinks and secret codes like "this hangnail's a cocklebur," the money starts rolling in for both Trent and Abe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2015
They ran him as a dummy to split the cocklebur vote for the opposing faction; but Willie didn't know this.
From Time Magazine Archive
Instead of spraying, the Maddoxes now bait cocklebur stands with salt to attract cattle.
From Time Magazine Archive
In each prickly fruit of a cocklebur there are two seeds, only one of which grows the first year, the other surviving to grow the second year.
From Seeds of Michigan Weeds Bulletin 260, Michigan State Agricultural College Experiment Station, Division of Botany, March, 1910 by W. J. (William James) Beal
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.
