houseleek
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.
any other plant of the genus Sempervivum.
Origin of houseleek
1Words Nearby houseleek
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use houseleek in a sentence
The houseleek and bay tree were supposed to afford protection from lightning.
The Funny Side of Physic | A. D. CrabtreIt is true that in that dim light the houseleek was only a dusky little knob.
Why does he let the houseleek remain on the roof; why trim and encourage the thick growth of ivy that clothes the chimney?
Hodge and His Masters | Richard JefferiesBertie smoked his pipe, and surveyed the houseleek as if it were a newly-discovered star.
Charlemagne ordered the houseleek to be planted on the roof of every house on this account.
Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics | Richard Folkard
British Dictionary definitions for houseleek
/ (ˈhaʊsˌliːk) /
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: Also called: hen-and-chickens
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
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