sow thistle

[sou]

noun

1. any composite plant belonging to the genus Sonchus, especially S. oleraceus, a weed having thistlelike leaves, yellow flowers, and a milky juice.

sow thistle

/ saʊ /

noun

1. Also called: milk thistle.  puha.  rauriki. any of various plants of the Old World genus Sonchus, esp S. oleraceus, having milky juice, prickly leaves, and heads of yellow flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sow thistle¹

1200–50; Middle English sowethistel, earlier sugethistel. See sow ², thistle

Word History and Origins

Origin of sow thistle¹

C13: from sugethistel, perhaps variant of Old English thugethistel, thuthistel thowthistle, a dialect name of the sow thistle. See _sow ², _thistle

Example Sentences

"I think she clearly is a keen botanist because pressed in a number of the pages are wild flowers," says Fiona, listing kidney vetch, cranesbill, louse wort and sow thistle, among others.

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Boiling water or full-strength white vinegar can kill the leaves and stems of most tender green weeds, such as spotted spurge, crab grass, sow thistle and prickly lettuce — especially when they’re young.

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He muttered something about Hazel being too embleer clever by half, cuffed Hawkbit off a sow thistle he was nibbling and led his five rabbits over the bank into the field.

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At that stage, it does resemble other weeds like prickly lettuce, Canadian sow thistle and dandelions themselves.

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During a stroll in the summer garden, you notice that the sow thistle petals are open while the adjacent pumpkin blossoms remain shut.

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