purslane
[purs-leyn, -lin]
- a low, trailing plant, Portulaca oleracea, having yellow flowers, used as a salad plant and potherb.Compare purslane family.
- any other plant of the purslane family.
Show More
Origin of purslane
1350–1400; Middle English purcelan(e) < Middle French porcelaine < Late Latin porcillāgin- (stem of porcillāgō), for Latin porcillāca, variant of portulāca portulaca
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for purslane
Historical Examples
To him the garden was a battlefield, a contest with purslane and he hated to be worsted.
A Daughter of the Middle BorderHamlin Garland
The purslane, when fresh and green, is much relished by camels.
The Caravan Route between Egypt and SyriaLudwig Salvator
Purslane must be sowne in February or March, in a new Moone.
Plant Lore, Legends, and LyricsRichard Folkard
Ephemeral, lasting for a day or less, as the corolla of Purslane, &c.
The Elements of BotanyAsa Gray
This genus is an exception to the other members of the Purslane family, in having more than two sepals.
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and HabitsMary Elizabeth Parsons
purslane
- a weedy portulacaceous plant, Portulaca oleracea, with small yellow flowers and fleshy leaves, which are used in salads and as a potherb
- any of various similar or related plants, such as sea purslane and water purslane
Show More
Word Origin
C14 purcelane, from Old French porcelaine, from Late Latin porcillāgō, from Latin porcillāca, variant of portulāca
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