wake-robin

[weyk-rob-in]

noun

1. the cuckoopint.

2. any of various plants belonging to the genus Trillium, native to eastern North America, of the lily family, as T. erectum, having rank-smelling purple, yellow, or white flowers.

wake-robin

noun

1. any of various North American herbaceous plants of the genus Trillium, such as T. grandiflorum, having a whorl of three leaves and three-petalled solitary flowers: family Trilliaceae

2. any of various aroid plants, esp the cuckoopint

Word History and Origins

Origin of wake-robin¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

The very first trillium to bloom was deep red, which was likely why folks call it a “wake-robin.”

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There was a delicious odor of sweet-shrub in the air, and the fruity fragrance of the dark, wild wake-robin underfoot.

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In shady places the ferns were unfolding in company with Solomon's-seal, wake-robin, the lady's-slipper, and the painted trillium.

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A meal of grubs and peppery wake-robin roots left him happy, but still he rambled on, following his nose and alert for any new adventure.

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Fresh green heads of bosky ferns and wake-robin were pushing up through the old mats of last year's foliage.

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