shamrock
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of shamrock
1565–75; < Irish seamróg, equivalent to seamair clover + -óg diminutive suffix
Compare meaning
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Explanation
A shamrock is a three-leafed green clover that's used to symbolize Ireland. Go all out for St. Patrick's Day this year — decorate your whole house with shamrocks! A clover must have exactly three leaves to be a shamrock, and some people believe only certain clover varieties qualify. Since at least 1675, Catholics have associated the shamrock with Saint Patrick, who famously used it to represent the Holy Trinity. It wasn't until the 18th century that it shifted from representing Ireland's patron saint to Ireland itself. The shamrock even shows up on some British coins, alongside the English rose and Scottish thistle.
Vocabulary lists containing shamrock
March Vocabulary Words
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Green
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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.
Among England's Tudor rose, Scotland's thistle, the Welsh leek and the Irish shamrock are the Canadian maple leaf and India's lotus flower.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025
But such information would only have puzzled Trump and complicated the shamrock bonhomie, and Vance — a Roman Catholic convert, after all — beamed in silence from the sofa.
From Salon • Mar. 16, 2025
He announced his intention to play for Notre Dame on social media, writing “A dream come true. Go Irish,” with a shamrock image at the end.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2023
The TK kids went to another table with instructional aide Eleanor Dorton to make shamrock crafts with pipe cleaners and beads.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2023
Squinting up at the shamrock, Harry realized that it was actually comprised of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red vests, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
