purs·lane (pûrs l n, -l n )n. A trailing Asian weed (Portulaca oleracea) having small yellow flowers, reddish stems, and fleshy obovate leaves that are sometimes cooked as a vegetable or used in salads. [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman *purcelane, alteration of Latin portul ca, porcilca; see portulaca.] |
purslane [ˈpɜːslɪn -leɪn]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) (Cookery) a weedy portulacaceous plant, Portulaca oleracea, with small yellow flowers and fleshy leaves, which are used in salads and as a potherb
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any of various similar or related plants, such as sea purslane and water purslane
[C14 purcelane, from Old French porcelaine, from Late Latin porcillāgō, from Latin porcillāca, variant of portulāca]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  purslane - a plant of the family Portulacaceae having fleshy succulent obovate leaves often grown as a potherb or salad herb; a weed in some areascommon purslane, Portulaca oleracea, pussley, pussly, verdolagas - weedy trailing mat-forming herb with bright yellow flowers cultivated for its edible mildly acid leaves eaten raw or cooked especially in Indian and Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine; cosmopolitan herb, herbaceous plant - a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests |
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