noun ·2 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of several plants that have a milky sap and have pods that split to release seeds with silky tufts.; Principally of the genus Asclepias in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
2. 2
   annual Eurasian sow thistle with soft spiny leaves and rayed yellow flower heads wordnet
3. 3
   Any of several plants that have a milky sap and have pods that split to release seeds with silky tufts.; Also of the genus Calotropis in order Gentianales, family Apocynaceae
4. 4
   any of numerous plants of the genus Asclepias having milky juice and pods that split open releasing seeds with downy tufts wordnet
5. 5
   Any of several plants that have a milky sap and have pods that split to release seeds with silky tufts.; Euphorbia peplus and Euphorbia heterophylla, in order Malpighiales.

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6. 6
   A monarch butterfly (Danaus spp).

Synonyms

All synonyms

silkweedsilkweedsonchus oleraceusweedwild cotton

Example

More examples

"We have milkweed growing in our backyard."

Etymology

From milk + weed.

Related phrases

heartleaf milkweedmilkweed bugmilkweed butterflyorange milkweedsandhill milkweedscarlet milkweedtropical milkweedmonarch butterfly

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.