bells of Ireland in British English
noun
(functioning as singular)
an annual garden plant, Moluccella laevis, whose flowers have a green cup-shaped calyx: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
bells of Ireland in American English
noun
a plant, Molucella laevis, native to western Asia, having inconspicuous white flowers, each surrounded by an enlarged green calyx
Also called: shellflower Word origin
[1955–60; so called from the bell-like green calyx]This word is first recorded in the period 1955–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cassette, geodesic dome, new wave, rite of passage, softwareImage ofbells of Ireland
© Bayanova Svetlana, shutterstock