forget-me-not

American  

[fer-get-mee-not] / fərˈgɛt miˌnɒt /

noun

• forget-me-nots
  plural

1. either of two small Old World plants, Myosotis sylvatica or M. scorpioides, of the borage family, having a light-blue flower commonly regarded as an emblem of constancy and friendship.

2. any of several other plants of the genus Myosotis.

3. any of various similar plants, especially of the genus Anchusa or Cynoglossum.

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forget-me-not British  

noun

1. Also called: scorpion grass.  any temperate low-growing plant of the mainly European boraginaceous genus Myosotis , having clusters of small typically blue flowers

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forget-me-nots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of forget-me-not

1525–35; translation of Middle French ne m'oubliez mye

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forget-me-not forget-me-nots

Sentebale means "forget-me-not" in Sesotho, the language of Lesotho.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025

Nothing but 2 meters and one spindly forget-me-not lay between us.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2022

Just within a couple of yards of the water’s edge, the species are abundant, the nomenclature mellifluous: buttercup, foxglove, leopard’s bane, nipplewort, forget-me-not, large-leaf aven, fringe cup, sticky willy.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2022

An infant’s loss ribbon wraps around the back of her arm, while forget-me-not flowers and a cross are etched on her lower arm.

From Washington Times ● May 7, 2018

My mother held out her skirt, making a hollow out of it, while I dropped in the flowers and she named them: forget-me-not, wintergreen, pink, wild rose.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

Sorin also suggests alyssum, forget-me-nots and bachelor’s buttons.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2022

The palace said the garden still features some of Diana’s best-loved flowers, including forget-me-nots.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2021

Her arrangements, which she describes as “fresh, harmonic and playful,” are inspired by the seasons: anemones and forget-me-nots in the spring, chamomile and sunflowers in summer, and red fruits and autumn-colored hydrangeas in the fall.

From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020

Behind the closed gates are newly-planted gardens, which have been filled with Diana's favourite flowers: white roses, scented narcissi and a carpet of forget-me-nots.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2017

It’s papered in small blue flowers, forget-me-nots, with curtains to match.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood