Meanings
nounoxtongue (countable and uncountable, plural oxtongues)
plural oxtongues
- countableuncountableA flowering plant of the genus Picris, especially Picris echioides (bristly oxtongue).
- countableuncountableA flowering plant of the genus Anchusa, especially Anchusa officinalis (true alkanet).
Synonyms & antonyms
nounwidespread European weed with spiny tongue-shaped leaves and yellow flowers; naturalized in United States
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekβούγλωσσον
- Middle Englishoxtonge
- Englishoxtongue
From Middle English oxtonge; equivalent to ox + tongue. In the sense of Anchusa a calque of Ancient Greek βούγλωσσον (boúglōsson).
More words from Middle English, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُرِّير
- مُرِّير (murrīr)Picris-genus plant
Dutch bitterkruid
- bitterkruidPicris-genus plant
Finnish kitkerö
- kitkeröPicris-genus plant
French picris
- picrisPicris-genus plant
German Bitterkraut
- BitterkrautPicris-genus plant
Norwegian Bokmål oksetunge, oksetunge
- oksetungebeef tongue as food
- oksetungeflowering plant of the genus Anchusa, especially Anchusa officinalis
- buglossaflowering plant of the genus Anchusa, especially Anchusa officinalis
Polish goryczel
- goryczelPicris-genus plant
Russian горлю́ха
- горлю́ха (gorljúxa)Picris-genus plant
Ukrainian гірча́нка
- гірча́нка (hirčánka)Picris-genus plant
Cite this entry
APA
oxtongue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxtongue
MLA
“oxtongue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxtongue. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oxtongue,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oxtongue.
Source: oxtongue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.