houseleek

American  

[hous-leek] / ˈhaʊsˌlik /

noun

• houseleeks
  plural

1. Also called old-man-and-old-woman.  a succulent plant, Sempervivum tectorum, of the stonecrop family, native to Europe, having reddish flowers and leaves forming dense basal rosettes.

2. any other plant of the genus Sempervivum.

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houseleek British  

/ ˈhaʊsˌliːk /

noun

1. Also called: hen-and-chickens.  any Old World crassulaceous plant of the genus Sempervivum, esp S. tectorum, which has a rosette of succulent leaves and pinkish flowers: grows on walls

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• houseleeks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of houseleek

First recorded in 1325–75, houseleek is from the Middle English word howsleke. See house, leek

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

houseleek houseleeks

Ivy for burns, comfrey for fever, foxglove for heart pain, laurel leaves for ringworm, houseleek for the eyes, the web of a spider for bleeding.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

The houseleek, however, is a singular plant, worthy of examination; it has an old-world look, as if it had survived beyond its date into the nineteenth century.

From The Life of the Fields by Richard Jefferies

Geranium, houseleek, laid in oblong beds On the trim grass.

From Silverpoints by John Gray

Here’s southernwood, that’s very good, Dandelion and houseleek.

From A History of the Cries of London Ancient and Modern by Charles Hindley

The houseleek has been known variously as the houselick, homewort or great houseleek.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

There was a box crowded full of green houseleeks down at the side of the door: they were straying over the edge, and Melissa stooped stiffly down with an air of disapproval at their untidiness.

From Old Friends and New by Sarah Orne Jewett

The red tiles of the houses edging the great square were gilded with yellow houseleeks.

From Wisdom, Wit, and Pathos of Ouida Selected from the Works of Ouida by Ouida

The roof, where there was any roof, was covered with moss and houseleeks; but the best part of it sustained the storks' nests—that was the only portion which was in tolerable repair.

From The Sand-Hills of Jutland by Mrs. (Anna S.) Bushby

The Leaves.—This is a very thick-leaved juicy plant, not unlike the houseleeks.

From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by William Salisbury