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oxlip

American  
[oks-lip] / ˈɒksˌlɪp /

noun

  1. a Eurasian primrose, Primula elatior, having clusters of small yellow flowers on a long stem.


oxlip British  
/ ˈɒksˌlɪp /

noun

  1. Also called: paigle. a primulaceous Eurasian woodland plant, Primula elatior, with small drooping pale yellow flowers

  2. Also called: false oxlip. a similar and related plant that is a natural hybrid between the cowslip and primrose

"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

Etymology

Origin of oxlip

First recorded before 1100, spelled oxsanslyppan


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

"I'm going to say 'I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlip and the nodding violet grows,' and then I'll describe the 'bank' so she can copy it."

From Ethel Morton's Enterprise by Mabell S. C. (Mabell Shippie Clarke) Smith

From what I have myself observed with oxlips, I cannot doubt that this plant was an oxlip in a highly variable condition, almost like that of the famous Cytisus adami.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Charles Darwin

Short-styled oxlip, by pollen of short-styled primrose: 34 flowers fertilised, produced two capsules, containing 5 and 12 seeds.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Charles Darwin

Short-styled oxlip, by pollen of long-styled primrose: 26 flowers fertilised, produced six capsules, containing 16, 20, 5, 10, 19, and 24 seeds.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Charles Darwin

The following observations prove, I think, that the latter view is correct; and they further show that the common oxlip is a hybrid between P. veris and vulgaris.

From The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Charles Darwin

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