crowfoot

American  

[kroh-foot] / ˈkroʊˌfʊt /

noun

plural

crowfoots, crowfeet

1. any plant of the genus Ranunculus, especially one with divided leaves suggestive of a crow's foot; buttercup.

2. any of various other plants with leaves or other parts suggestive of a bird's foot, as certain species of the genus Geranium.

3. caltrop.

4. Nautical. an arrangement of several bridlelike ropes rove through a suspended euphroe to support the backbone of an awning at a number of points.

5. Movies, Television. a three-legged device placed under a tripod to keep the camera from slipping.

6. (on an architectural or engineering drawing) a V -shaped mark the apex of which is a reference point.

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crowfoot British  

/ ˈkrəʊˌfʊt /

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Ranunculus, such as R. sceleratus and R. aquatilis ( water crowfoot ) that have yellow or white flowers and divided leaves resembling the foot of a crow See also buttercup

2. any of various other plants that have leaves or other parts resembling a bird's foot

3. nautical a bridle-like arrangement of lines rove through a wooden block or attached to a ring for supporting an awning from above

4. military another name for caltrop

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Etymology

Origin of crowfoot

First recorded in 1400–50, crowfoot is from the late Middle English word crowefote. See crow ¹, foot

Example Sentences

Angela has lived and worked on the river for decades and in recent years she has noticed an increase in pollution in the water and a rapid decline in species, like salmon and river crowfoot.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2022

When Ike turned again, his face told the story: his mouth turned down; his eyes, framed with crowfoot lines, squinted.

From Time Magazine Archive

Close by, under the left bank, a bed of crowfoot trailed downstream, the wheel-like leaves all submerged.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Other wart-curing plants are the spurge, the poppy, the celandine, the marigold, the briony, and the crowfoot.

From Storyology Essays in Folk-Lore, Sea-Lore, and Plant-Lore by Taylor, Benjamin

Polyandria: twenty or more stamens, inserted upon the receptacle or point of union of all the parts of the flower; as in the crowfoot and anemone.

From Lives of Eminent Zoologists, from Aristotle to Linnæus with Introductory remarks on the Study of Natural History by MacGillivray, William