poppy
UK[ˈpɒpi]US[ˈpɑːpi]
n
A plant with large, delicate flowers that are typically red and have black seeds, or the flower itself.
n
An artificial red poppy flower worn to remember soldiers who have died in wars.
Etymology
The word 'poppy' has a long and gentle journey into English. It originates from the Old English 'popæg' or 'popig', which was borrowed from the Late Latin 'papaver'. This Latin term is believed to be a nursery-word, a reduplication imitating the sound of chewing the seeds or perhaps a child's word, similar to 'papa'. This onomatopoeic or infant-speech origin reflects the plant's ancient, almost primal association with cultivation and its milky sap. Over centuries, the word simplified in form but retained its core meaning, specifically referring to the red-flowered Papaver somniferum and its symbolic counterparts.
Analysis
The word 'poppy' is a simplex word of Old English origin, borrowed from Latin. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes within its modern English spelling.
Examples
The field was a vibrant crimson, covered in wild poppies.
She pinned a remembrance poppy to her coat lapel for Armistice Day.
Opium is derived from the milky latex of the opium poppy.