1. A Eurasian primrose (Primula veris), usually having fragrant yellow flowers, widely cultivated as an ornamental, and long used in herbal medicine.
2. See marsh marigold.
3. The Virginia cowslip.

[Middle English cowslyppe, from Old English cūslyppe : cū, cow + slypa, slime.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.