milkweed

noun

milk·​weed ˈmilk-ˌwēd How to pronounce milkweed (audio)
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially : any of a genus (Asclepias of the family Apocynaceae, the dogbane family) of erect chiefly perennial herbs with milky juice and umbellate flowers

Illustration of milkweed

Illustration of milkweed

Examples of milkweed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In essence, trees developing this adaptation are not all that different from Darwin’s finches evolving special beaks to crack particular seed shells, or a monarch caterpillar’s ability to accumulate milkweed toxin to limit predation by birds. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Sep. 2024 By now the fields are overgrown, most ironweed and parsnip have turned black, even the closed cabinet doors of milkweed pods have burst open, spilling their shucked silk into the day. Didi Jackson, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024 Ways to Get Rid of Milkweed Aphids FAQ Bright orange milkweed aphids (Aphis nerii) usually emerge toward the end of summer and feed in clusters on the stems and leaves of common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and other milkweed plants. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Aug. 2024 This is especially a problem on common and swamp milkweeds. Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for milkweed 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'milkweed.' 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

circa 1592, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of milkweed was circa 1592

Dictionary Entries Near milkweed

Cite this Entry

“Milkweed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milkweed. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

milkweed

noun
milk·​weed ˈmil-ˌkwēd How to pronounce milkweed (audio)
: any of various herbs with milky juice and flowers usually in dense clusters

Medical Definition

milkweed

noun
milk·​weed ˈmilk-ˌwēd How to pronounce milkweed (audio)
: any of various plants that secrete latex
especially : any plant of the genus Asclepias (family Asclepiadaceae, the milkweed family) including several whose dried roots were formerly used medicinally

More from Merriam-Webster on milkweed

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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