groundsel
groundsel Lexical Profile
groundsel Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Any of various herbaceous flowering plants of the genus Senecio in the daisy family (Asteraceae), especially common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), characterized by deeply lobed leaves and small, cylindrical clusters of yellow disc flowers that mature into fluffy white seed heads.
"The gardener spent the morning pulling up patches of yellow-flowered groundsel that had sprouted between the vegetable rows."
American Any of several North American shrubs or small trees of the genus Baccharis in the family Asteraceae, such as Baccharis halimifolia, which grow in coastal marshes and bear small white or yellowish flower heads.
"Coastal groundsel thrives in brackish wetlands where few other woody shrubs can survive."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'grundeswylige', literally meaning 'ground-swallower' (from 'grund' meaning ground and 'swelgan' meaning to swallow), likely in reference to how rapidly the weed spreads across bare soil, or derived from an earlier folk-etymology alteration of 'gundeswilge' ('pus-absorber'), referencing its traditional use in poultices.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.