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moonseed

[moon-seed]
noun
  1. any climbing plant of the genus Menispermum, having greenish-white flowers and crescent-shaped seeds.
  2. Carolina moonseed.
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Origin of moonseed

First recorded in 1730–40; moon + seed
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for moonseed

Historical Examples

  • When she finished she picked up a trailing vine of moonseed.

    The Harvester

    Gene Stratton Porter

  • Fig. 231, staminate, and 232, pistillate flower of Moonseed.

  • Stamen of Moonseed, with anther cut across; this 4-celled, or rather 4-locellate.

  • You see it on cultivated plums, grapes, and apples, but never in any such perfection as on moonseed and black haws in the woods.

    The Harvester

    Gene Stratton Porter

  • She learned the uses and prices of the plant, and also made drawings of cohosh, moonseed and bloodroot.

    The Harvester

    Gene Stratton Porter

British Dictionary definitions for moonseed

moonseed

noun
  1. any menispermaceous climbing plant of the genus Menispermum and related genera, having red or black fruits with crescent-shaped or ring-shaped seeds
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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