Standard Lemma guide

butterwort

noun · 3 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 plant of the insectivorous genus Pinguicula.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

common butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

any of numerous carnivorous bog plants of the genus Pinguicula having showy purple or yellow or white flowers and a rosette of basal leaves coated with a sticky secretion to trap small insects

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: carnivorous plant

History

Etymology

From butter + wort: perhaps from the ability of the leaves to coagulate milk, or from their peculiar sliminess.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: yökönlehti — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • French: grassette — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • German: Fettkraut — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Irish: bodán meascáin — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Irish: leith uisce — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Irish: liath uisce — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Japanese: 虫取菫 (mushitosurime) — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Polish: tłustosz — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Romanian: foaie-grasă — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Romanian: îngrășătoare — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Russian: жиря́нка (žirjánka) — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Swedish: tätört — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Volapük: pinguikul — plant of the genus Pinguicula
  • Welsh: tafod y gors — plant of the genus Pinguicula