A dandelion is a wild plant which has yellow flowers with lots of thin petals. When the petals of each flower drop off, a fluffy white ball of seeds grows.
dandelion in British English
(ˈdændɪˌlaɪən)
noun
1.
a plant, Taraxacum officinale, native to Europe and Asia and naturalized as a weed in North America, having yellow rayed flowers and deeply notched basal leaves, which are used for salad or wine: family Asteraceae (composites)
2.
any of several similar related plants
Word origin
C15: from Old French dent de lion, literally: tooth of a lion, referring to its leaves
dandelion in American English
(ˈdændəˌlaɪən; widely, ˈdændiˌlaɪn)
noun
any of several plants (genus Taraxacum) of the composite family, common weeds with jagged leaves, often used as greens, and yellow flowers
Word origin
ME dentdelyon < OFr dent de lion, lit., tooth of the lion < L dens (gen. dentis), tooth + de, of + leo, lion: so called from the jagged leaves