any of certain plants of the genus Senecio, esp S. vulgaris, a Eurasian weed with heads of small yellow flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)
See also ragwort
2. groundsel tree
Word origin
Old English grundeswelge, changed from gundeswilge, from gund pus + swelgan to swallow; after its use in poultices on abscesses
groundsel in American English
(ˈgraʊndsəl; ˈgraʊnsəl)
noun
any of a genus (Senecio) of plants of the composite family, with usually yellow, rayed flower heads
Word origin
ME grundeswylie < OE grundeswylige, altered (after grund, ground1) < earlier gundeswelge, ? lit., pus swallower < gund, pus + swelgan, to swallow1, from its use in poultices
Examples of 'groundsel' in a sentence
groundsel
Those with chapped hands should try coating them in my special groundsel lotion.
Guyton, Anita The Natural Beauty Book - cruelty-free cosmetics to make at home (1991)
By the fifteenth century groundsel was grown extensively with other medicinal plants in many monastery gardens.
Guyton, Anita The Natural Beauty Book - cruelty-free cosmetics to make at home (1991)