Meanings
plural shame plants · alternative shameplant
- Mimosa, especially Mimosa pudica.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounprostrate or semi-erect subshrub of tropical America, and Australia; heavily armed with recurved thorns and having sensitive soft grey-green leaflets that fold and droop at night or when touched or cooled
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
So called because of its shrinking reaction to being touched. Compare Latin pudica (“shamefaced”) in the taxonomic name.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
shame plant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shame%20plant
“shame plant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shame%20plant. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shame plant,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shame%20plant.
Source: shame plant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.