CHICKWEED

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does chickweed mean? 

• CHICKWEED (noun)
  The noun CHICKWEED has 2 senses:

1. any of various plants of the genus Stellaria

2. any of various plants related to the common chickweed

  Familiarity information: CHICKWEED used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHICKWEED (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various plants of the genus Stellaria

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("chickweed" is a kind of...):

herb; herbaceous plant (a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chickweed"):

common chickweed; Stellaria media (a common low-growing annual garden weed with small white flowers; cosmopolitan; so-called because it is eaten by chickens)

greater stitchwort; starwort; Stellaria holostea; stitchwort (low-growing north temperate herb having small white star-shaped flowers; named for its alleged ability to ease sharp pains in the side)

Holonyms ("chickweed" is a member of...):

genus Stellaria; Stellaria (common chickweed; stitchwort)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of various plants related to the common chickweed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

chickweed; clammy chickweed; mouse-ear chickweed; mouse ear; mouse eared chickweed

Hypernyms ("chickweed" is a kind of...):

herb; herbaceous plant (a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chickweed"):

Cerastium arvense; field chickweed; field mouse-ear (densely tufted perennial chickweed of north temperate zone)

Cerastium tomentosum; love-in-a-mist; snow-in-summer (chickweed with hairy silver-grey leaves and rather large white flowers)

Alpine mouse-ear; Arctic mouse-ear; Cerastium alpinum (widespread in the Arctic and on mountains in Europe)

Holonyms ("chickweed" is a member of...):

Cerastium; genus Cerastium (mouse-eared chickweed)

 Context examples 

Chickweed tincture contains mucilage, saponins, silica, minerals, vitamins A, B, C and fatty acids.

(Chickweed Tincture, NCI Thesaurus)

Beth had old-fashioned fragrant flowers in her garden, sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the birds and catnip for the pussies.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Laurie dug a grave under the ferns in the grove, little Pip was laid in, with many tears by his tender-hearted mistress, and covered with moss, while a wreath of violets and chickweed was hung on the stone which bore his epitaph, composed by Jo while she struggled with the dinner.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)