hollyhock

[ hol-ee-hok, -hawk ]

/ ˈhɒl iˌhɒk, -ˌhɔk /

noun

any of several plants belonging to the genus Alcea (or Althaea), of the mallow family, native to Eurasia, especially A. rosea, a tall plant having a long cluster of showy, variously colored flowers.

Nearby words

hollowware, holluschick, holly, holly oak, holly, buddy, hollyhock, hollywood, hollywood bed, hollywoodian, hollywoodish, holm

Origin of hollyhock

1225–75; Middle English holihoc, equivalent to holi holy + hoc mallow, Old English hocc

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hollyhock

Old Miss Hollyhock's house is on fire, and we're going to put it out.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on Grandpa's Farm|Laura Lee Hope
The disease is not confined to the Hollyhock, for it attacks many malvaceous plants, notably the Mallows of our hedgesides.
The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots, 16th Edition|Sutton and Sons
The Althœa Rosa (Hollyhock) may be used as a substitute, though it is not as good.
An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing Art|B. L. Hill
So Buster darted away, calling out as he went that he would meet Jimmy at the hollyhock hedge on the next morning but one.
The Tale of Buster Bumblebee|Arthur Scott Bailey

It is too close a cousin of the Hollyhock ever to seem to me aught but a happy flower.
Old-Time Gardens|Alice Morse Earle

British Dictionary definitions for hollyhock

hollyhock

/ (ˈhɒlɪˌhɒk) /

noun

a tall widely cultivated malvaceous plant, Althaea rosea, with stout hairy stems and spikes of white, yellow, red, or purple flowersAlso called (US): rose mallow

Word Origin for hollyhock

C16: from holy + hock, from Old English hoc mallow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hollyhock

hollyhock

mid-13c., holihoc, from holi "holy" (see holy) + hokke "mallow," from Old English hocc, of unknown origin. Another early name for the plant was caulis Sancti Cuthberti "St. Cuthbert's cole."