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cow parsnip

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noun
  1. any of several tall, coarse plants of the genus Heracleum, of the parsley family, as H. sphondylium or H. lanatum, having large, flat clusters of white flowers.
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Origin of cow parsnip

First recorded in 1540–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for cow parsnip

Historical Examples

  • You made up your mind he was a lily of the valley and it was no good his being a cow-parsnip.

    Sons and Lovers

    David Herbert Lawrence

  • It feeds, in the autumn, on flowers and seeds of angelica and cow-parsnip, but the former is its chief food.

  • You made up your mind he was a lily of the valley, and it was no good his being a cow-parsnip.

    Sons and Lovers

    David Herbert Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for cow parsnip

cow parsnip

noun
  1. any tall coarse umbelliferous plant of the genus Heracleum, such as H. sphondylium of Europe and Asia, having thick stems and flattened clusters of white or purple flowersAlso called: hogweed, keck
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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