sow thistle

[sou]

noun

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

Origin of sow thistle

1200–50; Middle English sowethistel, earlier sugethistel. See sow², thistle

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Examples from the Web for sow thistle

Historical Examples of sow thistle

The Sow-thistle is considered by astrologers to be under the dominion of Venus.
Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics
Richard Folkard
In its channel I saw some of the milk or sow-thistle plant growing—the Sonchus oleraceus.
Australia Twice Traversed, The Romance of Exploration
Ernest Giles
Two species of Sow-thistle (genus Sonchus) are included among our wayside Composites.
Field and Woodland Plants
William S. Furneaux

British Dictionary definitions for sow thistle

sow thistle

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