primrose

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(prĭm'rōz') pronunciation
n.
  1. Any of numerous plants of the genus Primula, having well-developed basal leaves and tubular, variously colored flowers grouped in umbels or heads with a funnel-shaped or salverlike corolla and a tube much longer than the calyx.
  2. An evening primrose.

[Middle English primerose, from Old French, from Medieval Latin prīma rosa, first rose : Latin prīma, feminine of prīmus, first; see prime + Latin rosa, rose.]



Any flowering plant of the genus Primula, one of 28 genera of the family Primulaceae. Primula includes 490600 species, which occur chiefly in the Northern Hemisphere in cool or mountainous regions. The plants are low-growing, usually perennial herbs; a few are biennials. Most species grow 2550 cm (1020 inches) tall, but some are as short as 5 cm and others as tall as 120 cm. Many species are cultivated for their attractive, five-petaled flowers, which may be red, pink, purple, blue, white, or yellow. Pimpernels are also in the primrose family. The evening primrose (family Onagraceae) is not a true primrose.

For more information on primrose, visit Britannica.com.

These flowers were believed to affect luck in poultry rearing, presumably because primroses and chicks are both bright yellow (‘like affects like’). From the mid-19th century to within living memory, children were warned never to bring fewer than thirteen primroses into the house, for this was the optimum number for a clutch of chicks, and fewer primroses meant fewer eggs would hatch. It was sometimes further believed that giving someone a single primrose, or bringing one indoors, would cause death (Vickery, 1995: 293-7).

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primrose, common name for the genus Primula of the Primulaceae, a family of low perennial herbs with species found on all continents, most frequently in north temperate regions. Among the better-known members of the family are the primroses (genus Primula), cyclamens (genus Cyclamen), pimpernels (genus Anagallis), and loosestrifes (chiefly genus Lysimachia). Species of all these genera are cultivated as rock-garden, border, and pot plants. The primrose, a common and favored wildflower of England, has often been celebrated in poetry. A common yellow species (P. veris) is called cowslip in England. Several primroses are indigenous to North America. The American cowslip, often called shooting star, is a separate genus (Dodocatheon); it is an Eastern wildflower. The evening primrose is not a true primrose. Tuberous-rooted cyclamens are native chiefly to the European Alps; C. indicum is a common florists' pot plant in the United States. The scarlet pimpernel, or poorman's-weatherglass (A. arvensis), is native to Eurasia but has been naturalized in North America; its flowers close on the approach of bad weather. Loosestrifes are easily cultivated flowers that thrive under moist conditions; some are creeping species, e.g., the moneywort, or creeping Jenny, of E North America. Several unrelated plants are also called loosestrife. Primroses are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Primulales.


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categories related to 'primrose'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to primrose, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Primrose.

Primrose may refer to:

Contents

Botany

  • Primulaceae, a family of flowering plants
  • Primula vulgaris, commonly known as the Primrose (also called the Common Primrose or English Primrose)
  • Oenothera, commonly known as Evening Primrose, a plant genus
  • Onagraceae, commonly known as the Willowherb family or Evening Primrose family

Places

United States

People

Other

See also


Translations:

Primrose

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - blomst af slægten primula

idioms:

  • primrose path    den brede vej

Nederlands (Dutch)
sleutelbloem

Français (French)
n. - primevère

idioms:

  • primrose path    voie de la facilité

Deutsch (German)
n. - Schlüsselblume, Himmelsschlüsselchen

idioms:

  • primrose path    Blumenpfad

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) πρίμουλα, ηρανθές
adj. - ανοιχτοκίτρινος

idioms:

  • primrose path    ο εύκολος δρόμος, ο δρόμος της απώλειας

Italiano (Italian)
primula, primavera odorosa, giallo primula

idioms:

  • primrose path    la via del piacere

Português (Portuguese)
n. - prímula (f), amarelo claro (m)
adj. - relativo à prímula, amarelo pálido, alegre

idioms:

  • primrose path    vida boa

Русский (Russian)
примула, бледно-желтый

idioms:

  • primrose path    путь наслаждений, путь наименьшего сопротивления

Español (Spanish)
n. - primavera, prímula, amarillo claro

idioms:

  • primrose path    camino de rosas, camino de flores

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - primula, viva
adj. - gullvive-

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
樱草花, 樱草色, 报春花

idioms:

  • primrose path    欢乐生涯, 放荡生活, 寻欢作乐

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 櫻草花, 櫻草色, 報春花

idioms:

  • primrose path    歡樂生涯, 放蕩生活, 尋歡作樂

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 앵초, 금달맞이꽃

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - サクラソウの, はなやかな, 陽気な
n. - サクラソウ, マツヨイグサ, 女子名, プリムローズ

idioms:

  • primrose path    歓楽の暮らし, 快楽の道, いちばん楽な道

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) زهرة الربيع, كعب الثلج, حافل بزهر الربيع (صفه) لون زهري‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮רקפת‬


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