Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various plants of the genus Papaver, having colorful flowers usually with four delicate petals, milky sap, and a capsule with pores that release numerous small seeds.
  • noun Any of various other plants of the family Papaveraceae, such as the California poppy.
  • noun A vivid red to reddish orange.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A plant of the genus Papaver.
  • noun One of several plants belonging to other genera of the Papaveraceæ.
  • noun The foxglove.
  • noun In architecture, same as poppy-head.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Bot.) Any plant or species of the genus Papaver, herbs with showy polypetalous flowers and a milky juice. From one species (Papaver somniferum) opium is obtained, though all the species contain it to some extent; also, a flower of the plant. See Illust. of capsule.
  • noun (Bot.) any yellow-flowered plant of the genus Eschscholtzia.
  • noun See under Corn.
  • noun See under Horn.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a leaf-cutting bee (Anthocopa papaveris) which uses pieces cut from poppy petals for the lining of its cells; -- called also upholsterer bee.
  • noun (Bot.) Argemone Mexicana, a yellow-flowered plant of the Poppy family, but as prickly as a thistle.
  • noun the seed the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum).
  • noun (Bot.) a species of Silene (Silene inflata). See Catchfly.
  • noun (Arch.) A raised ornament frequently having the form of a final. It is generally used on the tops of the upright ends or elbows which terminate seats, etc., in Gothic churches.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Having a popping sound.
  • noun Any plant of the species Papaver, with crumpled often red petals and a milky juice.
  • noun a bright red colour, tinted with orange, like that of the poppy flower.
  • noun chiefly UK, Canada a simple artificial poppy worn in the buttonhole to remember the fallen in the two World Wars, especially around Remembrance Sunday.
  • adjective of a bright red colour, tinted with orange, like that of the poppy flower.
  • noun An affectionate nickname given to a father or grandfather, or a male authority figure standing in a similar position.
  • adjective music In the style of pop music.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English popi, from Old English popig, probably alteration of Vulgar Latin *papāvum, alteration of Latin papāver.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From pop ("sound")

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English popiġ

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Diminutive of pop.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From popular, by shortening

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word poppy.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • A very social pony with great fecundity, having raised the entire Pop family single-handedly: pretty pop, sweet pop, fizzy pop, swirlypop, and butter pop. While many other ponies would describe Poppy's parenting skills as "less than adequate," and most of Poppy's children would describe themselves as "abused," Poppy is still an important member of the My Little Pony community, denoting heavily to many charities and political campaigns.

    August 8, 2008

  • I'm really enjoying your details on The Ponies. It's like watching Dallas.

    August 8, 2008

  • You should have wept her yesterday,

    Wasting upon her bed:

    But wherefore should you weep today

    That she is dead?

    Lo we who love weep not today,

    But crown her royal head.

    Let be these poppies that we strew,

    Your roses are too red:

    Let be these poppies, not for you

    Cut down and spread.

    --Christina Rossetti

    September 26, 2009