foxglove

noun

fox·​glove ˈfäks-ˌgləv How to pronounce foxglove (audio)
: any of a genus (Digitalis) of erect herbs of the snapdragon family
especially : a common European biennial or perennial (D. purpurea) cultivated for its showy racemes of dotted white or purple tubular flowers and as a source of digitalis

Examples of foxglove in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The apartment was small, but light poured in from the bedroom window with a view of a foxglove tree below. Ronda Kaysen, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024 Options for your new plantings include pinks, sweet alyssum, larkspurs, snapdragons, Iceland poppies, stocks, foxgloves, wallflowers, ornamental Swiss chard and, a little closer to March, petunias. Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2024 Cut down flowers like foxglove or shrubs like roses right to the soil to give them the chance to grow back better next year. Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2023 On that warm midsummer morning, Stoke Abbott was all biscuit-colored loveliness in thatch and sandstone, with dog roses panting out of the hedges, mayflies shimmering, and bees rummaging in the foxgloves. Catherine Fairweather, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023 These would include bleeding heart, foxglove, euphorbia, helleborus, irises, milkweed, peonies, azaleas, rhododendrons, and wisteria. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2023 Pansies and other annuals go wild for many months in Southern California’s mild climate, followed by cottage garden flowers like foxgloves, delphiniums, and poppies. Stephen Orr, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Mar. 2023 People tried to ameliorate M.S. with leeches, quinine, foxglove, tobacco, hemlock, valerian, coffee, tea, being suspended above the ground, vertically, for four minutes at a time, and being wrapped in sheets sprayed with cold water. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 Other rarities include Iceland poppies, garden roses, foxgloves and lisianthus . Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foxglove.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foxglove was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near foxglove

Cite this Entry

“Foxglove.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foxglove. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

foxglove

noun
fox·​glove ˈfäks-ˌgləv How to pronounce foxglove (audio)
: any of a genus of upright herbs related to the snapdragons
especially : a tall herb with showy dotted white or purple tube-shaped flowers that is a source of digitalis

Medical Definition

foxglove

noun
fox·​glove ˈfäks-ˌgləv How to pronounce foxglove (audio)
: any plant of the genus Digitalis
especially : a common European biennial or perennial (D. purpurea) cultivated for its showy racemes of dotted white or purple tubular flowers and as a source of digitalis

More from Merriam-Webster on foxglove

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