stickseed

American

[stik-seed] / ˈstɪkˌsid /

noun

any of the weedy plants belonging to the genus Lappula, having prickly seeds that adhere to clothing.

stickseed British

/ ˈstɪkˌsiːd /

noun

Also called: beggar's-lice. any of various Eurasian and North American plants of the boraginaceous genus Lappula, having red-and-blue flowers and small prickly fruits

"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

Etymology

Origin of stickseed

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; stick ² + seed

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