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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US:/ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S N AE1 P D R AE2 G AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
2000, Margaret Roberts, Edible & Medicinal Flowers, New Africa Books (The Spearhead Press), page 72, The snapdragon is indigenous to Europe and has been a much loved garden plant since before the Middle Ages, when it was considered an antidote against witchcraft.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
2014, Sabrina Jeffries, When Sparks Fly, Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star Books), unnumbered page, "I hope we play snapdragon," eight-year-old Timothy Metcalf said. "I wish we could," Ellie said, "but I doubt Papa will allow it. He'll say snatching raisins from a burning bowl of brandy is too dangerous." "But snapdragon is a Christmas tradition!" protested Percy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a garden plant of the genus Antirrhinum having showy white or yellow or crimson flowers resembling the face of a dragon
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
(1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print. Other animal-based names for the flower are common; compare Greek σκυλάκι (skyláki, literally “puppy”) and Finnish leijonankita (literally “lion's mouth”).
Across languages
Translations
47 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
أَنْف الْعِجْل
(ʔanf al-ʕijl)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Bengali:
গুল ময়মন
(gul moẏomon)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Bulgarian:
кученце
(kučence)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Burmese:
ကျားပါးစပ်
(kya:pa:cap)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Chinese Mandarin:
金魚草 /金鱼草
(jīnyúcǎo)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Czech:
hledík
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Danish:
løvemund
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Dutch:
leeuwenbek
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Esperanto:
antirino
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Esperanto:
leonfaŭko
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Esperanto:
lupfaŭko
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Estonian:
lõvilõug
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Finnish:
leijonankita
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
French:
gueule-de-loup
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
German:
Löwenmäulchen
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
German:
Löwenmäuler
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Greek:
σκυλάκι
(skyláki)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Ancient Greek:
ἀνάρρινον
(anárrhinon)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Hebrew:
לֹעַ הָאֲרִי
(ló'a ha'arí)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Hungarian:
oroszlánszáj
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Hungarian:
tátika
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Hunsrik:
Leebmeilche
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Irish:
antairíneam
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Italian:
bocca di leone
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Kazakh:
есінек
(esınek)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Lithuanian:
žioveinis
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Macedonian:
зја́јка
(zjájka)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Macedonian:
зе́јка
(zéjka)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Navajo:
shį́náldzidí
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Norman:
dgeule-dé-lion
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Old English:
hundeshéafod
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Persian:
گل میمون
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Polish:
lwia paszcza
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Polish:
wyżlin
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Portuguese:
boca-de-leão
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Portuguese:
boca-de-lobo
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Portuguese:
antirrino
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Portuguese:
erva-bezerra
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Romanian:
gura-leului
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Russian:
льви́ный зев
(lʹvínyj zev)
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Spanish:
boca de dragón
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Swedish:
lejongap
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Turkish:
aslanağzı
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Welsh:
trwyn y llo
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Welsh:
safn y llew
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Welsh:
ceg fy nain
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
Welsh:
pen ci bach
— any plant of the genus Antirrhinum
