celandine
[ sel-uh n-dahyn, -deen ]
/ ˈsɛl ənˌdaɪn, -ˌdin /
noun
Also called greater celandine, swallowwort.
an Old World plant, Chelidonium majus, of the poppy family, having yellow flowers.
Also called lesser celandine.
an Old World plant, Ranunculus ficaria, of the buttercup family, having fleshy, heart-shaped leaves and solitary yellow flowers.
Origin of celandine
1275–1325; Middle English
selandyne, variant of
celydon < Latin
chelīdonia greater celandine,
chelīdonium lesser celandine < Greek
chelīdónion, derivative of
chelīdṓn swallow; said to be so called because it blooms when the swallows return in spring
Words nearby celandine
cela,
celadon,
celadonite,
celaeno,
celan,
celandine,
celandine poppy,
celanese,
celature,
celaya,
celeb
Example sentences from the Web for celandine
British Dictionary definitions for celandine
celandine
/ (ˈsɛlənˌdaɪn) /
noun
either of two unrelated plants, Chelidonium majus (greater celandine) or Ranunculus ficaria (lesser celandine)
See greater celandine, lesser celandine
Word Origin for celandine
C13: earlier
celydon, from Latin
chelīdonia (the plant), from
chelīdonius of the swallow, from Greek
khelidōn swallow; the plant's season was believed to parallel the migration of swallows