celandine

Middle English celidoine, Old French celidoine, French chélidoine, from Latin chelīdonia, from chelīdonius (“relating to the swallow”), from Ancient Greek χελιδόνιος (khelidónios), χελιδών (khelidṓn). It was traditionally supposed to flower when the swallows appeared, and to perish when they departed.

celandine (plural celandines)

1. Either of two not closely related flowering plants:
   • 1950, C. S. Lewis, chapter 11, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Collins, published 1998:

     Coming suddenly round a corner into a glade of silver birch trees Edmund saw the ground covered in all directions with little yellow flowers—celandines.

   • 2000, Bill Oddie, Gripping Yarns, page 26:

     The poor but lovely bird sat there, posing among the celandines and wood anemones, wondering why its wing-tips were frozen together.

   1. greater celandine (Chelidonium majus)
   2. lesser celandine (Ficaria verna, formerly Ranunculus ficaria)

• celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)

• danceline, decennial, line dance, line-dance