marsh mallow

American  

noun

1. an Old World mallow, Althaea officinalis, having pink flowers, found in marshy places.

2. the rose mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos.

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marsh mallow British  

noun

1. a malvaceous plant, Althaea officinalis, that grows in salt marshes and has pale pink flowers. The roots yield a mucilage formerly used to make marshmallows

2. another name for rose mallow

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Etymology

Origin of marsh mallow

before 1000; Middle English marshmalue, Old English merscmealwe. See marsh, mallow

Example Sentences

The oldest ingredient in the s'more’s holy trinity is the marshmallow, a sweet that gets its name from a plant called, appropriately enough, the marsh mallow.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2018

Today the marshmallow on your s’more contains no marsh mallow sap at all.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2018

As they followed the dry bed of such a path leading to rich flats, they would come upon quiet pools deeply shaded by gums and marsh mallow, that had every appearance of being permanent.

From The Red True Story Book by Ford, H. J. (Henry Justice)

Alth�a, al-thē′a, n. a genus of plants including the marsh mallow and the hollyhock.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

After which Lewisham essayed to gather her a marsh mallow at the peril, as it was judged, of his life, and gained it together with a bootful of water.

From Love and Mr. Lewisham by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)