mayapple
mayapple Lexical Profile
mayapple Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A herbaceous woodland perennial of the barberry family (Podophyllum peltatum), native to eastern North America, characterized by umbrella-like lobed leaves and a solitary, nodding, waxy white flower with six to nine petals that blooms in May.
"The forest floor was carpeted with the broad, umbrella-shaped leaves and hidden white blossoms of the mayapple."
North American The small, ovoid, yellowish, lemon-shaped berry produced by the mayapple plant, which is toxic when green and unripe but edible in small quantities once fully ripened in late summer.
"Foragers wait until late summer when the golden mayapple is completely soft and ripe before harvesting it to make jelly."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in American English in the early 18th century as a compound of 'May' and 'apple', referencing the plant's solitary white blossoms that appear in May and the small, apple-like berry that develops afterward.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.