skunk cabbage

noun

: any of several early-blooming perennial herbs of the arum family that occur in shaded, wet to swampy areas and have a fetid odor suggestive of a skunk:
a
: one (Symplocarpus foetidus) of eastern North America and eastern Asia that has a hoodlike, brownish-purple spathe
b
: one (Lysichiton americanus synonym L. americanum) chiefly of the Pacific coast region of North America that has a large yellow spathe
c
: one (Lysichiton camtschatcensis synonym L. camtschatcense) of eastern Asia that has a large white spathe

Illustration of skunk cabbage

Illustration of skunk cabbage
  • skunk cabbage b

Examples of skunk cabbage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s patches of wetland that teem with skunk cabbage and ferns when the season is right. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 21 Nov. 2024 By the creek, skunk cabbage pokes up reliably from the muck, its speckled, maroon-yellow spathe resembling a jester’s cap. Daryln Brewer Hoffstot Kristian Thacker, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skunk cabbage was in 1751

Dictionary Entries Near skunk cabbage

Cite this Entry

“Skunk cabbage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skunk%20cabbage. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

skunk cabbage

noun
: either of two North American herbs that grow in wet areas, bloom in late winter or early spring, and have an odor like that of a skunk

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