ranunculus

British  

/ rəˈnʌŋkjʊləs /

noun

1. any ranunculaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus , having finely divided leaves and typically yellow five-petalled flowers. The genus includes buttercup, crowfoot, spearwort, and lesser celandine

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Etymology

Origin of ranunculus

C16: from Latin: tadpole, from rāna a frog

Example Sentences

Tables were dressed in green linens and had seasonal spring bouquets featuring butterfly ranunculus, phlox, and lily of the valley.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Everyone in her group was laden with two or three cone-shaped bundles — a couple dozen each of ranunculus, sweet peas, lisianthus, Queen Anne’s lace, spray roses and large roses in ivory and white.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2024

It’s magical for Ferguson too, who over the last 11 months has built a colorful farm on the half-acre with flowers, including Agrostemma, irises, zinnias, cosmos, roses, sunflowers, sweet peas, French dianthus and ranunculus.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024

For the newly opened Italian restaurant Dalla in East London, she sourced silver candlestick-shaped vases attributed to the Viennese designer Carl Auböck, furnishing each with a single, barely trimmed stem of white ‘Butterfly’ ranunculus.

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2024

The curious roots of ranunculus should be at once planted; these roots consist of small, fleshy, spindle-shaped claws, which are united at the crown.

From Little Folks (December 1884) A Magazine for the Young by Various