Meanings
plural mulleins · alternative mullen
- uncountableusuallyAny of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.First known use 14th c.
As we all know, witches ride through the air on a broom, but sometimes their means of locomotion was a bulrush, a branch of thorn, mullein stalks, cornstalk, or ragweed, called fairies' horse in Ireland.
1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 2671 more example
There be foure ſortes of Mulleyne, as [Pedanius] Dioſcorides writeth: wherof yͤ two firſt are white Mulleyne, and of them one is Male, and the other female: The third is blacke Mulleyne: The fourth is wilde Mulleyne. […] The white male Mulleyn (or rather Wolleyn) hath […] the whole top with his pleaſant yellow floures ſheweth like to a waxe Candell or taper cunningly wrought.
1578, Rembert Dodoens, “Of Mulleyne⸝ or Hyg[h]taper”, in Henry Lyte, transl., A Niewe Herball, or Historie of Plantes: […], London: […] [Henry [i.e., Hendrik van der] Loë for] Gerard Dewes, […], →OCLC, 1st part (Sundry Sortes of Herbes and Plantes), page 118Synonyms: Aaron's rod, cow's lungwort, feltwort, flannel leaf, velvet plant
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.
More synonyms by meaning
nounany of various plants of the genus Verbascum having large usually woolly leaves and terminal spikes of yellow or white or purplish flowers
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinmollis“soft”
- Proto-Celtic*melinos“yellow”
- Anglo-Normanmoleine
- Middle Englishmoleyne
- Englishmullein
From Middle English moleyne, from Anglo-Norman moleine, which is either a Celtic borrowing and derived from Proto-Celtic *melinos (“yellow”) from *meli (“honey”) – an adjective found in Breton melen (“yellow”) and Welsh melyn (“yellow”) – or from mol (“soft”), from Latin mollis (“soft”), referencing the plant's fluffy, downy leaves, also apparent in synonyms such as feltwort, flannel leaf, and velvet plant.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Proto-Celtic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φλόμος
- φλόμος (phlómos)plants of the genus Verbascum
Arabic بُوصِير
- بُوصِير (būṣīr)plants of the genus Verbascum
Bulgarian ло́пен, лопе́н
- ло́пен (lópen)plants of the genus Verbascum
- лопе́н (lopén)plants of the genus Verbascum
- о́вча опа́шка (óvča opáška)plants of the genus Verbascum
Catalan blenera, candelera
- bleneraplants of the genus Verbascum
- candeleraplants of the genus Verbascum
- trepóplants of the genus Verbascum
Chinese Mandarin 毛蕊花
- 毛蕊花 (máoruǐhuā)plants of the genus Verbascum
Czech divizna
- diviznaplants of the genus Verbascum
Danish kongelys
- kongelysplants of the genus Verbascum
Dutch koningskaars
- koningskaarsplants of the genus Verbascum
Estonian vägihein
- vägiheinplants of the genus Verbascum
Finnish tulikukka
- tulikukkaplants of the genus Verbascum
French molène
- molèneplants of the genus Verbascum
German Königskerze
- Königskerzeplants of the genus Verbascum
Greek φλόμος, βερμπάσκο
- φλόμος (flómos)plants of the genus Verbascum
- βερμπάσκο (vermpásko)plants of the genus Verbascum
Hebrew בּוּצִין
- בּוּצִין (būṣīn)plants of the genus Verbascum
Hungarian ökörfarkkóró
- ökörfarkkóróplants of the genus Verbascum
Irish coinnle an phúca, coinnle Muire
- coinnle an phúcaplants of the genus Verbascum
- coinnle Muireplants of the genus Verbascum
- coinnle bánaplants of the genus Verbascum
Italian verbasco
- verbascoplants of the genus Verbascum
Japanese 毛蕊花
- 毛蕊花 (mōzuika)plants of the genus Verbascum
Latin verbascum
- verbascumplants of the genus Verbascum
Lithuanian tūbė
- tūbėplants of the genus Verbascum
Polish dziewanna, knotnica
- dziewannaplants of the genus Verbascum
- knotnicaplants of the genus Verbascum
Portuguese verbasco
- verbascoplants of the genus Verbascum
Romanian lumânărică, coada-mielului
- lumânăricăplants of the genus Verbascum
- coada-mieluluiplants of the genus Verbascum
Russian коровя́к, медве́жье у́хо
- коровя́к (korovják)plants of the genus Verbascum
- медве́жье у́хо (medvéžʹje úxo)plants of the genus Verbascum
Slovak divozel
- divozelplants of the genus Verbascum
Spanish verbasco
- verbascoplants of the genus Verbascum
Turkish sığırkuyruğu
- sığırkuyruğuplants of the genus Verbascum
Ukrainian дивина́
- дивина́ (dyvyná)plants of the genus Verbascum
Welsh pannog
- pannogplants of the genus Verbascum
Cite this entry
mullein. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mullein
“mullein.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mullein. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mullein,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mullein.
Source: mullein on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.