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.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Are you learning new vocabulary? Or do you just have an interest in words? Either way, this quiz is for you.
Question 1 of 10
orchard
body of land completely surrounded by water
group of cultivated fruit trees
long mournful cry
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sow thistle

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

Words nearby sow thistle

sovkhoz, sovran, sow, sow bug, sow one's wild oats, sow thistle, sow wild oats, sowback, sowbelly, sowbread, sowcar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sow thistle

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