dandelion

American  

[dan-dl-ahy-uhn] / ˈdæn dlˌaɪ ən /

noun

1. a weedy composite plant, Taraxacum officinale, having edible, deeply toothed or notched leaves, golden-yellow flowers, and rounded clusters of white, hairy seeds.

2. any other plant of the genus Taraxacum.

---

dandelion British  

/ ˈdændɪˌlaɪən /

noun

1. a plant, Taraxacum officinale, native to Europe and Asia and naturalized as a weed in North America, having yellow rayed flowers and deeply notched basal leaves, which are used for salad or wine: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. any of several similar related plants

---

Etymology

Origin of dandelion

1505–15; < Middle French, alteration of dent de lion, literally, tooth of (a) lion, translation of Medieval Latin dēns leōnis, in allusion to the toothed leaves

Explanation

A dandelion is a plant with bright yellow flowers that's considered a weed by many people. Others enjoy adding bitter dandelion greens to their salads. While some lawn enthusiasts see dandelions as an enemy to be eradicated, they are actually in the daisy family and arguably just as pretty. After blooming, the flowers transition to seed, resulting in soft, round seed heads that you can blow into the air while making a wish. Historians believe that dandelions were brought to North America on the Mayflower and were valued for their medicinal and nutritional properties.

Example Sentences

Expect desert sunflowers, gold poppy, dandelion and a number of other small, low-to-the-ground flowers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

The packaging for Molecule pills often lists "natural ingredients" such as dandelion root and fennel seed extract.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

A sea of yellow—ocher, dandelion, goldenrod—seems to support a single tree backed by a dark vacuum, but as our eyes adjust, we realize a barn in deepest alizarin crimson dominates the scene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Leafy greens and herbs: arugula, spinach, beet greens, mustard greens, radish tops, kale, dandelion, nasturtiums, fennel fronds, nettles, lovage, microgreens.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025

If we tried, we could reach out and grab that laughter, the way a person can catch sparks flying out from a campfire, or dandelion seeds carried by the wind.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin