thistle : Idioms & Phrases

• noun European weed having a winged stem and hairy leaves; adventive in the eastern United States
  Barnaby's thistle; Centaurea solstitialis.
  

WordNet

• noun tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
  Silybum marianum; milk thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; blessed thistle.
  
• noun annual of Mediterranean to Portugal having hairy stems and minutely spiny-toothed leaves and large heads of yellow flowers
  sweet sultan; Cnicus benedictus.
  

WordNet

• Carduus benedictus, so named because it was formerly considered an antidote to the bite of venomous creatures.

Webster 1913

• noun a coarse prickly European weed with spikes of blue flowers; naturalized in United States
  viper's bugloss; blue devil; Echium vulgare; blueweed.
  

WordNet

• noun European thistle with rather large heads and prickly leaves; extensively naturalized as a weed in the United States
  Cirsium vulgare; bull thistle; boar thistle; Cirsium lanceolatum.
  

WordNet

• noun of central and southwestern Europe
  Cirsium rivulare.
  

WordNet

• noun European thistle with rather large heads and prickly leaves; extensively naturalized as a weed in the United States
  Cirsium vulgare; bull thistle; boar thistle; Cirsium lanceolatum.
  

WordNet

• Cnicus lanceolatus, the common large thistle of neglected pastures.

Webster 1913

• noun European thistle naturalized in United States and Canada where it is a pernicious weed
  Canada thistle; Cirsium arvense.
  

WordNet

• Cnicus arvensis, a native of Europe, but introduced into the United States from Canada.

Webster 1913

• noun a thistle of the genus Carlina
  

WordNet

Car"line this`tle

Etymology

F. carline, It., Sp., & Pg., carline, Said to be so called from the Emperor Charlemagne, whose army is reputed to have used it as a remedy for pestilence.

Definitions

1. (Bot.) A prickly plant of the genus Carlina (C. vulgaris), found in Europe and Asia.

Webster 1913

• noun Eurasian thistle growing in sand dunes and dry chalky soils
  Carlina vulgaris.
  

WordNet

• noun biennial Eurasian white hairy thistle having pale purple flowers; naturalized in North America
  Scotch thistle; Onopordon acanthium; cotton thistle; Onopordum acanthium.
  

WordNet

• Onopordon Acanthium.

Webster 1913

• noun European thistle naturalized in United States and Canada where it is a pernicious weed
  Canada thistle; Cirsium arvense.
  

WordNet

• noun woolly thistle of western and central Europe and Balkan Peninsula
  Cirsium eriophorum.
  

WordNet

• noun stout North American thistle with purplish-pink flower heads
  Cirsium discolor.
  

WordNet

• the teasel.

Webster 1913

• (Bot.), the teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) whose burs are used by fullers in dressing cloth. See Teasel.

Webster 1913

• noun any of various plants of the genus Echinops having prickly leaves and dense globose heads of bluish flowers
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), a thistlelike plant with the flowers in large globular heads (Cynara Scolymus); also, certain species of the related genus Echinops.

Webster 1913

• etc. See under Globe, Melon, etc.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several spiny Mediterranean herbs of the genus Scolymus having yellow flower heads
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), a plant of the Cactus family, globular in form, and covered with spines (Echinocactus).

Webster 1913

• noun tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
  Silybum marianum; milk thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; blessed thistle.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), the blessed thistle. See under Thistle.

Webster 1913

• noun European annual wild lettuce having prickly stems; a troublesome weed in parts of United States
  Lactuca serriola; prickly lettuce; Lactuca scariola.
  

WordNet

• noun tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
  Silybum marianum; milk thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; blessed thistle.
  

WordNet

• noun perennial stoloniferous thistle of northern Europe with lanceolate basal leaves and usually solitary heads of reddish-purple flowers
  Cirsium helenioides; Cirsium heterophylum.
  

WordNet

• . (a) (Bot.) A genus of cactaceous plants (Melocactus) having a fleshy and usually globose stem with the surface divided into spiny longitudinal ridges, and bearing at the top a prickly and woolly crown in which the small pink flowers are half concealed . M. communis, from the West Indies, is often cultivated, and sometimes called Turk's cap. (b) The related genus Mamillaria, in which the stem is tubercled rather than ribbed, and the flowers sometimes large. See Illust. under Cactus.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers; widely naturalized; often noxious weeds in cultivated soil
  milk thistle.
  
• noun tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
  Silybum marianum; milk thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; blessed thistle.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), an esculent European thistle (Silybum marianum), having the veins of its leaves of a milky whiteness.

Webster 1913

• noun Eurasian perennial naturalized in eastern North America having very spiny white cottony foliage and nodding musky crimson flower heads; valuable source of nectar
  musk thistle; Carduus nutans.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), a species of thistle (Carduus nutans), having fine large flowers, and leaves smelling strongly of musk.

Webster 1913

• noun Eurasian perennial naturalized in eastern North America having very spiny white cottony foliage and nodding musky crimson flower heads; valuable source of nectar
  musk thistle; Carduus nutans.
  

WordNet

• noun tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
  Silybum marianum; milk thistle; holy thistle; lady's thistle; blessed thistle.
  

WordNet

• Atractylis gummifera, a native of the Mediterranean region. A vicid gum resin flows from the involucre.

Webster 1913

• (Bot.), a plant (Atractylis gummifera), from the bark of which, when wounded, a gummy substance exudes.

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous biennial to perennial herbs with handsome purple or yellow or occasionally white flower heads
  plume thistle.
  

WordNet

• noun any of numerous biennial to perennial herbs with handsome purple or yellow or occasionally white flower heads
  plume thistle.
  

WordNet

• noun prickly bushy Eurasian plant; a troublesome weed in central and western United States
  tumbleweed; Russian tumbleweed; Russian cactus; Salsola kali tenuifolia.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), a kind of knapeweed (Centaurea solstitialis) flowering on St. Barnabas's Day, June 11th. Dr. Prior.

Webster 1913

• noun biennial Eurasian white hairy thistle having pale purple flowers; naturalized in North America
  Scotch thistle; Onopordon acanthium; cotton thistle; Onopordum acanthium.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), a species of thistle (Onopordon acanthium); so called from its being the national emblem of the Scotch.
• either the cotton thistle, or the musk thistle, or the spear thistle; all used national emblems of Scotland.

Webster 1913

• noun any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers; widely naturalized; often noxious weeds in cultivated soil
  milk thistle.
  

WordNet

• AS. sugepistel (Bot.), a composite plant (Sonchus oleraceus) said to be eaten by swine and some other animals.
• Sonchus oleraceus.

Webster 1913

• noun European thistle with rather large heads and prickly leaves; extensively naturalized as a weed in the United States
  Cirsium vulgare; bull thistle; boar thistle; Cirsium lanceolatum.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), the common thistle (Cnicus lanceolatus).
• . Same as Bull thistle.

Webster 1913

• (Bot.), an annual composite plant (Centaurea solstitialis) having the involucre armed with radiating spines.
• a species of Centaurea. See Centaurea.

Webster 1913

• noun Mediterranean annual or biennial herb having pinkish to purple flowers surrounded by spine-tipped scales; naturalized in America
  Centauria calcitrapa; caltrop.
  

WordNet

• noun stemless perennial having large flowers with white or purple-brown florets nestled in a rosette of long spiny leaves hairy beneath; of alpine regions of southern and eastern Europe
  Carlina acaulis.
  

WordNet

• (Bot.), the sow thistle.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the American goldfinch, or yellow-bird (Spinus tristis); so called on account of its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under Goldfinch.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a handsomely colored American butterfly (Vanessa cardui) whose larva feeds upon thistles; called also painted lady.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the corn bunting (Emberiza militaria). Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• a gold coin of England of the reign of James I., worth four shillings.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the goldfinch; so called from its fondness for thistle seeds. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• a funnel having a bulging body and flaring mouth.

Webster 1913

• a candelabra-shaped plant of the genus Cereus. See Cereus.

Webster 1913

• noun European biennial introduced in North America having flower heads in crowded clusters at ends of branches
  Carduus crispus.
  

WordNet

• noun any plant of the genus Argemone having large white or yellow flowers and prickly leaves and stems and pods; chiefly of tropical America
  prickly poppy; devil's fig; argemone.
  
• noun spiny shrub with silvery-scurfy foliage of alkaline plains of southwestern United States and Mexico
  Atriplex lentiformis; quail brush; quail bush.
  

WordNet

• noun biennial Eurasian white hairy thistle having pale purple flowers; naturalized in North America
  Scotch thistle; Onopordon acanthium; cotton thistle; Onopordum acanthium.
  
• noun thistle of western North America having white woolly leaves
  Cirsium flodmanii.
  

WordNet

• noun European weed having a winged stem and hairy leaves; adventive in the eastern United States
  Barnaby's thistle; Centaurea solstitialis.
  

WordNet

• Cincus horridulus.

Webster 1913