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sow thistle

[ sou ]
/ saʊ /

noun

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

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Words nearby sow thistle

sovkhoz, sovran, sow, sow bug, sow one's wild oats, sow thistle, sow wild oats, sowback, sowbelly, sowbread, sowcar

Origin of sow thistle

1200–50; Middle English sowethistel, earlier sugethistel. See sow2, thistle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for sow thistle

sow thistle
/ (saʊ) /

noun

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)Also called: milk thistle, (NZ) puha, (NZ) rauriki

Word Origin for sow thistle

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