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• Dutchman's breeches
  Dutchman's breeches

  noun

  a plant, Dicentra cucullaria, of the fumitory family, having long clusters of pale yellow, two-spurred flowers.
• Dutchman's-breeches
  Dutchman's-breeches

  noun

  (functioning as singular) a North American plant, Dicentra cucullaria, with finely divided basal leaves and pink flowers: family Fumariaceae

Dutchman's breeches

American  

[duhch-muhnz brich-iz] / ˈdʌtʃ mənz ˈbrɪtʃ ɪz /

Or Dutchman's-breeches

noun

• Dutchman's breeches
  plural

1. a plant, Dicentra cucullaria, of the fumitory family, having long clusters of pale yellow, two-spurred flowers.

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Dutchman's-breeches British  

noun

1. Also called: colicweed.  (functioning as singular) a North American plant, Dicentra cucullaria, with finely divided basal leaves and pink flowers: family Fumariaceae

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Dutchman's breeches
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Dutchman's breeches

First recorded in 1830–40; so called from the shape of the flowers

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Dutchman's breeches Dutchman's-breeches

Norway maple is an invasive plant that has escaped from cultivation to displace sugar maple and shade to death spring wildflowers such as Dutchman’s breeches, dog-tooth violet and mayapple.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 8, 2019

"Yes, I see a piece of blue big enough for a Dutchman's breeches so I think the rain is over, but you'd better put on your rubbers, Molly."

From Three Little Cousins by Amy Ella Blanchard

The purple trilliums, like the Dutchman’s breeches, felt the effects of the many April and early May frosts but now they are coming into their beauty.

From Some Spring Days in Iowa by Frederick John Lazell

The plumy dicentra, or Dutchman’s breeches, seems so feminine as to be grossly misnamed until we remember that it was first discovered in the Rip Van Winkle country.

From Some Spring Days in Iowa by Frederick John Lazell

And being unable to pass further on he turned back all cut and slashed like a Dutchman's breeches.

From Stories from the Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile

Mr. Chris said Dutchman’s-breeches had such bad fruit for cows to eat that their summer name was “little blue staggers.”

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

He could tell things apart that looked exactly alike to Marly—at least for a while—like Dutchman’s-breeches and squirrel com, and Solomon’s seal and twisted-stalk with their tiny bells, and violets!

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

Her sisters bring the gifts—Spring, wind-flowers, Solomon's-Seal, Dutchman's-breeches, Quaker-ladies, and trailing arbutus, that smells as divinely as the true May.

From Letters of Travel (1892-1913) by Rudyard Kipling