snapdragon
Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowersAny plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
Meaning
2 senses(countable)Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
Löwenmäulchen, Löwenmäuler
льви́ный зевlʹvínyj zev
a garden plant of the genus Antirrhinum having showy white or yellow or crimson flowers resembling the face of a dragon
(uncountable)A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
(1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children tha(1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print.
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Forms
plural: snapdragonsSynonyms
2 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable