milkweed

[ milk-weed ]

noun

1. any of several plants that secrete a milky juice or latex, especially those of the genus Asclepias, as A. syriaca. Compare milkweed family.
2. any of various other plants having a milky juice, as certain spurges.

milkweed

/ ˈmɪlkˌwiːd /

noun

1. See asclepias
   Also calledsilkweed any plant of the mostly North American genus Asclepias, having milky sap and pointed pods that split open to release tufted seeds: family Asclepiadaceae See also asclepias
2. any of various other plants having milky sap
3. See butterfly weed
   orange milkweed
   orange milkweed another name for butterfly weed
4. See monarch
   another name for monarch

Word History and Origins

Origin of milkweed¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; milk + weed ¹

Example Sentences

As a Midwesterner who grew up among prairies filled with milkweed, I balked at such fearmongering.

From Voice of San Diego

The article seems to blanket all milkweed as killer, but that’s just not true.

From Voice of San Diego

Anyone who wants to take monarchs and milkweed for these purposes would have to apply for special permits.

From Popular-Science

This global network has helped restore not only monarchs' summer breeding habitat by planting milkweed, but also general pollinator habitat by planting nectaring flowers across North America.

From Popular-Science

If it is female, she will lay her eggs on milkweeds, and the cycle will start again.

From Science News For Students

The accompanying use of these poisons has proven deadly to milkweed.

From The Daily Beast

But the biggest factor is thought to be an accompanying decrease in milkweed, where the Monarchs lay their eggs along the way.

From The Daily Beast

Other supporters of the milkweed effort include Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.

From The Daily Beast

Graywolf Press is there, along with Milkweed, Coffee House Press, Rain Taxi magazine.

From The Daily Beast

Our milkweed is tenacious of life; its roots lie deep, as if to get away from the plow, but it seldom infests cultivated crops.

From Project Gutenberg

You are like pretty floating milkweed, you touch here and there in your travels.

From Project Gutenberg

I can find no record that the down of milkweed (or of any other plant) was used.

From Project Gutenberg

The other man, even shorter, but slimmer, sauntered out of a bed of milkweed whither he had been catapulted.

From Project Gutenberg

The creamy sap of the milkweed growing in the timothy meadow was drying up in the stem.

From Project Gutenberg