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primrose

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primrose¹

  • /ˈpɹɪm.ɹoʊz/ US
  • /ˈpɹɪm.ɹəʊz/ UK

Where it comes from

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.

noun primroses

  1. 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.
  2. Specifically, the species Primula acaulis (syn. Primula vulgaris), also called common primrose.

    Similar: plumrock, plumrose

  3. A plant of the family Primulaceae.
  4. A plant of the genus Oenothera, better known as an evening primrose.
  5. A flower of a primrose plant.
  6. A light yellow colour.

Similar: primula, cowslip, oxlip, primerole

adjective more primrose · most primrose

  1. 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.

verb primroses · primrosing · primrosed

  1. intransitive To pick primroses. We went primrosing on Sunday and returned with a full basket.

Primrose²

Where it comes from

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.

proper noun

  1. A habitational surname.
  2. Britain, rare 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.

Thesaurus

noun

Similar: primula, cowslip, oxlip, primerole

Translations

Every language

noun plant of the genus Primula

Españolprimavera
日本語桜草 sakurasō
Portuguêsprímula
Françaisprimevère
DeutschPrimel
Italianoprimula
Ελληνικάδακράκι dakráki
Românăprimulă, ciuboțica-cucului
Русскийпервоцве́т pervocvét, при́мула prímula

noun Primula acaulis

Españolprimavera
Portuguêsprímula
DeutschPrimel
Românăprimulă
Русскийпервоцве́т pervocvét, при́мула prímula

noun flower of a primrose

Portuguêsprímula
DeutschPrimel
Italianoprimula
Românăprimulă
Русскийпервоцве́т pervocvét, при́мула prímula

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Cite this
MLA

"primrose." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/primrose. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

primrose. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/primrose

Chicago

"primrose." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/primrose.

BibTeX
@misc{primrose_2026,
  title = {primrose},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/primrose},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}