primrose
/ˈpɹɪm.ɹəʊz/US/ˈpɹɪm.ɹoʊz/
primrose noun: a flowering plant of the genus Primula.
Noun
primrose (plural primroses)
- A flowering plant of the genus Primula.
- A mile or so further on is the intermediate station of Ryhall, smothered with primroses in the season, and at all times a veritable flower garden.1946 September and October, D. J. Rowett, “Stamford L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 283
- Here is spring were celandine, marsh marigold, wind-flower, primrose, cowslip and dog's violet.1977, K.M. Elizabeth Murray, Caught in the Web of Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 13
- Specifically, the species Primula acaulis (syn. Primula vulgaris), also called common primrose.
- A plant of the family Primulaceae.
- A plant of the genus Oenothera, better known as an evening primrose.
- A flower of a primrose plant.
- A light yellow colour.
Adjective
primrose (comparative more primrose, superlative most primrose)
- Of a light yellow colour.
- Passenger saloons are tastefully furnished with wood veneer and partitions, mottled grey Vyanide walls, pale primrose ceilings and grey floor.1961 February, “New "Mini-Buffets" from Wolverton”, in Trains Illustrated, page 79
Verb
primrose (third-person singular simple present primroses, present participle primrosing, simple past and past participle primrosed)
- To pick primroses.
- We went primrosing on Sunday and returned with a full basket.
Proper noun capitalized: Primrose
Primrose
- A habitational surname.
- A female given name from English.
- Mother said, "How do you like Primrose? It sounds fresh and pretty." Milly-Molly-Mandy thought it sounded a very nice name. […] And then she decided, as the baby had come in the spring-time, it had better be Primrose.1929, Joyce Lankester Brisley, chapter 8, in More of Milly-Molly-Mandy
primrose meaning in Tamil, Malayalam and Persian
primrose in Tamil
- சீமைமுட்செவ்வந்தி
primrose in Malayalam
- വസന്തകുസുമച്ചെടി, ഏറ്റവും മികച്ചത്
primrose in Persian
- plant of the genus Primula
- پامچال, گل نوروز
Examples of primrose in a sentence
- Beach hogwort and beach primrose probably also contribute to the diet of these birds.
- Do not be led down the primrose path.
- By using jargon, clichés, exaggeration, and unnecessary words, we will be led down the primrose path of misdirection.
Synonyms of primrose
Forms of primrose
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | primroses |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more primrose |
| superlative | most primrose |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | primroses |
| present participle | primrosing |
| past participle | primrosed |
| past | primrosed |
Origin of primrose
From Middle English primerose, from Old French primerose, from Medieval Latin prima (“first”) + rosa (“rose”). The designation may derive from the fact that certain species of primroses are among the earliest flowers to bloom in the spring season.
The surname derives from a place name in Fife, Scotland; Watson (1926) derived this from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *prenn (“wood, tree”) + *rros (“moor, heath”). Taylor instead argued for Scottish Gaelic prím (“first”) + ros (“promontory”). Changed by folk etymology because of phonetic resemblance to primrose. The given name is one of the 19th-century flower names.
Words formed from primrose
- Primrose syndrome
- Abyssinian primrose
- baby primrose
- bird's-eye primrose
- Cape primrose
- Chinese primrose
- English primrose
- evening primrose oil
- evening primrose
- fairy primrose
- Missouri primrose Oenothera macrocarpa)
- Primrose Hill
- primroselike
- primrose path
- primrose peerless
- Primrose Valley
- primrose willow
- primrose-willow
- primrose yellow
- primrosy
- primrosey
- Scottish primrose
- sea primrose
- spike-primrose
- tree primrose
- water primrose
Phrases with primrose
Questions about primrose
- What does primrose mean?
- Primrose means a flowering plant of the genus Primula.
- What is primrose in Tamil?
- Primrose in Tamil is சீமைமுட்செவ்வந்தி. See Primrose meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is primrose?
- Primrose can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce primrose?
- Primrose is pronounced /ˈpɹɪm.ɹoʊz/ (US).
- What is the plural of primrose?
- The plural of primrose is primroses.
Words near primrose in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: primrose (page history and authors); Primrose (page history and authors); primrose (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); primrose (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-primrose.wav.
Cite this entry: “primrose.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/primrose. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.