mullein

or mul·len

[ muhl-uhn ]

noun

any of various plants belonging to the genus Verbascum, of the figwort family, native to the Old World, especially V. thapsus, a tall plant with woolly leaves and a dense spike of yellow flowers.
any of several similar plants.

Origin of mullein

1325–75; Middle English moleine<Anglo-French, perhaps derivative of mol soft <Latin mollis

Words Nearby mullein

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mullein in a sentence

Ain't no surer sign o' poor soil than a passel o' mullein stalks.
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn Raymond
If I just had some mullein leaves now to make compresses with!
Tabitha at Ivy Hall | Ruth Alberta Brown
The mullein plant boiled in milk is liked by the patients; in watery infusion it is disagreeable, and the succus is still more so.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 415, December 15, 1883 | Various
As much as possible, however, they were left to the mullein--a proceeding which was entirely satisfactory to themselves.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 415, December 15, 1883 | Various
Val snatched a mullein leaf from the hill-side as she passed.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins

British Dictionary definitions for mullein

mullein

mullen

/ (ˈmʌlɪn) /

noun

any of various European herbaceous plants of the scrophulariaceous genus Verbascum, such as V. thapsus (common mullein or Aaron's rod), typically having tall spikes of yellow flowers and broad hairy leaves: See also Aaron's rod

Origin of mullein

C15: from Old French moleine, probably from Old French mol soft, from Latin mollis

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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