Phrase guide

shepherd's purse

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

An edible weed, Capsella bursa-pastoris, family Brassicaceae, native to Europe but now found world-wide.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shepherd's pouch

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

white-flowered annual European herb bearing triangular notched pods; nearly cosmopolitan as an introduced weed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shepherd's pouch, Capsella bursa-pastoris

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: crucifer, cruciferous plant

History

Etymology

Alluding to the shape of its seed vessel. Compare mediaeval Latin bursa pastoris, French bourse-à-berger, German Hirtentasche.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: shtrapër — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Arabic: كِيس الرَاعِي (kīs ar-rāʕī) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Azerbaijani: quşəppəyi — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Bulgarian: овчарска торбичка (ovčarska torbička) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Catalan: sarronets de pastor — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Catalan: bosses de pastor — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Chinese: 上己菜 (siōng-kí-chhài) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Chinese Mandarin: 薺菜 /荠菜 (jìcài) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Czech: kokoška pastuší tobolka — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Dutch: herderstasje — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Finnish: lutukka — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • French: bourse-à-pasteur — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • French: boursette — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • French: capselle — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • French: bourse-à-berger — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • German: Hirtentäschel — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • German: Hirtentäschelkraut — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Greek: αγριοκαρδαμούδα (agriokardamoúda) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Ancient Greek: θλάσπις (thláspis) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Ido: pastoroburso — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Ingrian: koirankuudra — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Irish: lus an sparáin — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Japanese: 薺 (nazuna) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Kazakh: жұмыршақ (jūmyrşaq) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Korean: 냉이 (naeng'i) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Norman: bourse — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Norman: pid d'ouaîthé — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Polish: tasznik — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Portuguese: bolsa-de-pastor — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Romanian: traista-ciobanului — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Romanian: punguliță — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Russian: сумочник пастуший (sumočnik pastušij) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Russian: пасту́шья су́мка (pastúšʹja súmka) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Serbo-Croatian: русо̀мача — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Serbo-Croatian: тарчу̀жа̄к — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Serbo-Croatian: rusòmača — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Serbo-Croatian: tarčùžāk — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Slovak: pastierska kapsička — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Spanish: bolsa del pastor — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Swedish: lomme — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Turkish: çobançantası — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Ottoman Turkish: چوبان چانطهسی (çoban çantası) — Capsella bursa-pastoris
  • Welsh: pwrs y bugail — Capsella bursa-pastoris