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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

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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

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

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 Lazell, Frederick John

Some of them, such as the Dutchman's breeches and the bluebell, have gone, like the beautiful children who died when life was young.

From Some Summer Days in Iowa by Lazell, Frederick John

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 Basile, Giambattista

"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 Blanchard, Amy Ella