[ 'sɛləndʌɪn ]
■ noun
1》 (also lesser ~ ) a common plant of the buttercup family, which produces yellow flowers in the early spring. [ Ranunculus ficaria .]
2》 ( greater ~ ) a yellow-flowered plant of the poppy family, with toxic sap. [ Chelidonium majus .]
Origin
ME, from OFr. celidoine , from med. L. celidonia , based on Gk khelidōn 'swallow' (the flowering of the plant being assoc. with the arrival of swallows).