portulaca

[ pawr-chuh-lak-uh, pohr- ]

/ ˌpɔr tʃəˈlæk ə, ˌpoʊr- /

Save This Word!

noun

any of various fleshy-leaved plants of the genus Portulaca, especially P. grandiflora, widely cultivated for its showy, variously colored flowers.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of portulaca

1540–50; <New Latin, genus name, Latin: purslane

Words nearby portulaca

Portuguese India, Portuguese man-of-war, Portuguese Timor, Portuguese water dog, Portuguese West Africa, portulaca, portulacaceous, Port Washington, port-wine stain, porus, POS

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use portulaca in a sentence

Portulaca smiles at you, you know, when you get up soon enough in the morning to see it in its glory.
The Master of Warlock|George Cary Eggleston
Old-fashioned portulaca makes a pretty low-growing green for a fern dish.
The Kitchen Encyclopedia|Anonymous
A pea-plant, with ternate leaves, and fine yellow blossoms, was found near our camp: Portulaca was very abundant.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt
Portulaca, with terete leaves, grows sparingly on the mild rich soil.
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia|Ludwig Leichhardt

Pigweed: Portulaca, or the native purslane, a creeping annual of a reddish-green colour and an excellent vegetable.
Journal of Landsborough's Expedition from Carpentaria|William Landsborough

British Dictionary definitions for portulaca

portulaca

/ (ˌpɔːtjʊˈlækə, -ˈleɪkə) /

noun

any portulacaceous plant of the genus Portulaca, such as rose moss and purslane, of tropical and subtropical America, having yellow, pink, or purple showy flowers

Word Origin for portulaca

C16: from Latin: purslane

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