thistledown

American  

[this-uhl-doun] / ˈθɪs əlˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the mature, silky pappus of a thistle.

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thistledown British  

/ ˈθɪsəlˌdaʊn /

noun

1. the mass of feathery plumed seeds produced by a thistle

2. anything resembling this

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Etymology

Origin of thistledown

First recorded in 1555–65; thistle + down ²

Example Sentences

He's spent hours weaving weeds and thistledown in the milky moonlight, spinning her into existence.

From Literature

So that the old terror, of exclusion — or abandonment perhaps — didn’t trouble us, any more than the thistledown troubled us whirling softly off the vegetation by the water.

From New York Times

And I, with only the thistledown of childish care upon me, would listen lightly and take up my pencil again.

From Literature

The creosote fruit and the female D. gloriosa, also called the thistledown velvet ant — which is a wasp, not an ant — are near perfect doppelgängers.

From New York Times

Her silence was so complete, her gentleness so apparent, that the residents would crawl from their nests of thistledown and dandelion fluff to join her.

From Literature