Etymology

oxlip

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Today it means: A plant of species Primula elatior, similar to cowslip (Primula veris) but with larger, pale yellow flowers. Full definition →

Middle English *oxeslyppe ← Old English oxanslyppe
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromoxanslyppe“oxlip”
  2. Middle English · inherited from*oxeslyppe
  3. English todayoxlip

From Middle English *oxeslyppe, from Old English oxanslyppe (“oxlip”), from oxan, genitive of oxa (“ox”) + slyppe (“paste, slimy substance”). Compare cowslip, of similar formation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.