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Examples of autumn crocus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some plants can poison pets if eaten: autumn crocus, cyclamen, kalanchoe, daffodils and true lilies can be fatal, while others are more benign.
—Sara Okeefe, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024
At once delicate and flamboyant, beautiful but somewhat creepy, the gloriosa lily, a.k.a. Gloriosa superba — which is not a true lily at all but a species of the autumn crocus family Colchicaceae — adds a showy, if vaguely menacing, glamour to floral arrangements and gardens.
—Amanda Fortini Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2023
Colchicums are more expensive than autumn crocus but cheaper than a deer fence.
—Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2019
The idea that colchicine—a poison drawn from the seeds and stem of the lovely autumn crocus—could be used to prevent complications in patients undergoing heart surgery was an intoxicating one.
—Clifton Leaf, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1726, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near autumn crocus
Cite this Entry
“Autumn crocus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autumn%20crocus. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Medical Definition
autumn crocus
noun
au·tumn cro·cus
ˌȯt-əm-ˈkrō-kəs
: an autumn-blooming herb (Colchicum autumnale) of the lily family (Liliaceae) that is the source of medicinal colchicum
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