Standard Lemma guide

butterbur

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of several Eurasian herbs, of the genus Petasites, having dense clusters of often purple flowers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: butterdock, sweet coltsfoot

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

small Eurasian herb having broad leaves and lilac-pink rayless flowers; found in moist areas

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bog rhubarb, Petasites hybridus, Petasites vulgaris

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: herb, herbaceous plant

History

Etymology

From butter + bur: its large leaves were once used to wrap butter.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ainu: コㇿコニ (korkoni) — herb
  • Arabic: أَرَام (ʔarām) — herb
  • Azerbaijani: öskürəkotu — herb
  • Belarusian: белакапытнік (bjelakapytnik) — herb
  • Bulgarian: чоба́нка (čobánka) — herb
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蜂斗菜属 (fēng dòu cài shǔ) — herb
  • Czech: devětsil — herb
  • Danish: hestehov — herb
  • Dutch: hoefblad — herb
  • Finnish: ruttojuuri — herb
  • French: pétasite — herb
  • Georgian: ბუერა (buera) — herb
  • German: Pestwurz — herb
  • Greek: πετασίτης (petasítis) — herb
  • Ancient Greek: πετασῖτις (petasîtis) — herb
  • Irish: borrán — herb
  • Irish: gallán mór — herb
  • Irish: meacan an phobóil — herb
  • Italian: farfaraccio — herb
  • Italian: petasite — herb
  • Japanese: 苳 — herb
  • Japanese: 蕗 (fuki) — herb
  • Kashubian: kòpëtnik — herb
  • Korean: 머위 (meowi) — herb
  • Lithuanian: šaukštis — herb
  • Macedonian: лопур (lopur) — herb
  • Ossetian: мӕнтӕг (mæntæg) — herb
  • Polish: lepiężnik — herb
  • Russian: белокопы́тник (belokopýtnik) — herb
  • Serbo-Croatian: ло̏пӯх — herb
  • Serbo-Croatian: ло̏пӯр — herb
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȍpūh — herb
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȍpūr — herb
  • Slovak: deväťsil — herb
  • Spanish: petasita — herb
  • Swedish: pestskråp — herb
  • Tatar: каз чәчәге (qaz çäçäge) — herb