spatterdock

American

[spat-er-dok] / ˈspæt ərˌdɒk /

noun

any of various water lilies of the genus Nuphar, having globular yellow flowers and growing in lakes or sluggish streams, especially N. advena, of the eastern U.S.

Etymology

Origin of spatterdock

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; spatter + dock ⁴

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.

On the island he had opened a bottle of beer, home-brewed from the rhizome, or plant stem, of the spatterdock that grows along the riverbank.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2014

Low tide drains most of the water from the creek, exposing broad mud flats covered with an emerging waterlily known as spatterdock.

From Washington Post • Apr. 29, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023