| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,519,132,911 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
shamrock |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.06 sec. |
|
shamrock, a plant with leaves composed of three leaflets. According to legend it was used by St. Patrick in explaining the doctrine of the Trinity; it is now used as the emblem of Ireland. An artificial or real shamrock leaf is customarily worn on St. Patrick's Day. The actual species of the true shamrock has long been debated, but the plants most often favored and used are the white clover (Trifolium repens), the black medic (Medicago lupulina), the wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), and a hop clover (Trifolium minus). All are classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə) ..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida. Trifolium and Medicago are in the order Rosales, family Leguminosae; Oxalis is in the order Geraniales, family Oxalidaceae. shamrock a plant having leaves divided into three leaflets, variously identified as the wood sorrel, red clover, white clover, and black medick: the national emblem of Ireland shamrock of Ireland. [Flower Symbolism: Brewer Note-Book, 334] shamrock indicates light-heartedness. [Flower Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 177] See : Gaiety shamrock St. Patrick’s legendary symbol of triune God. [Christian Symbolism: Appleton, 87] See : Trinity |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
They were strange ornaments to bring on a sea voyage--china pugs, tea-sets in miniature, cups stamped floridly with the arms of the city of Bristol, hair-pin boxes crusted with shamrock, antelopes' heads in coloured plaster, together with a multitude of tiny photographs, representing downright workmen in their Sunday best, and women holding white babies. On the table was a roast sirloin of pork, garnished with shamrocks. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|