cowslip

[kou-slip]

noun

an English primrose, Primula veris, having fragrant yellow flowers.

the marsh marigold.

shooting star(def 2).

Virginia cowslip.

Origin of cowslip

before 1000; Middle English cowslyppe, Old English cūslyppe, equivalent to cū cow¹ + slyppe, slypa slime; see slip³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cowslip

Historical Examples of cowslip

But this is all cowslip country—from the field of Rother to the field of Uck.
Highways & Byways in Sussex
E.V. Lucas
In the Primrose and Cowslip, again, we find quite a different plan.
The Beauties of Nature
Sir John Lubbock
Paigle has never been satisfactorily explained, nor has Cowslip.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare
Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
It has many names, but its most common are Paigle and Cowslip.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare
Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
"I will lead you," hummed a bee, from the deep cup of a cowslip.
How the Fairy Violet Lost and Won Her Wings
Marianne L. B. Ker

British Dictionary definitions for cowslip

cowslip

noun

Also called: paigle a primrose, Primula veris, native to temperate regions of the Old World, having fragrant yellow flowers

US and Canadian another name for marsh marigold

Word Origin for cowslip

Old English cūslyppe; see cow 1, slip ³

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 cowslip

Old English cu-slyppe, apparently from cu "cow" (see cow (n.)) + slyppe "slop, slobber, dung" (see slop (n.1)).