shamrock
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of shamrock
1565–75; < Irish seamróg, equivalent to seamair clover + -óg diminutive suffix
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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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I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001
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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.
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 was presented with the first shamrock by the Duchess of Edinburgh.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2024
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
Her 8-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, wore a similar headpiece and ivory McQueen dress with cape, embroidered with rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs to represent the four countries of the United Kingdom.
From Seattle Times • May 6, 2023
Here may it wave, our boast, our pride And join in love together The thistle, shamrock, rose entwine The Maple Leaf forever.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
