milk thistle

/mɪlk ˌθɪsəl/

/mɪlk ˈθɪsəl/

Definitions of milk thistle

1. noun

   any of several Old World coarse prickly-leaved shrubs and subshrubs having milky juice and yellow flowers; widely naturalized; often noxious weeds in cultivated soil
   synonyms: sow thistle

   types:

   Sonchus oleraceus, milkweed

   annual Eurasian sow thistle with soft spiny leaves and rayed yellow flower heads

   type of:

   bush, shrub

   a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
2. noun

   tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
   synonyms: Our Lady's mild thistle, Silybum marianum, blessed thistle, holy thistle, lady's thistle

   type of:

   herb, herbaceous plant

   a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests