wild pansy

English

Noun

wild pansy (plural wild pansies)

1. A European wildflower (Viola tricolor), with medicinal properties, and believed to ease heartache.
   • 1880, Armand Trousseau, Treatise on therapeutics v.2, page 130:

     Murray ("App. Méd.," t. I., p. 789) gives a numerous list of physicians who have found advantage from the use of wild pansy in treating the crusta lactea of children.

   • 1899, Edward Step, The Romance of Wild Flowers: A Companion to the British Flora, page 100:

     They have all purple or blue flowers, but the Wild Pansy differs in more striking fashion from the others.

   • 2013, Carol Klein, Wild Flowers: Nature's own to garden grown, page 37:

     Chief amongst them is the little annual field pansy, V. arvensis, a plant apparently on the increase since modern farming methods suit it well. It is close to, and often crosses with, the wild pansy, V. tricolor.

   • 2017, Niall Mac Coitir, Ireland's Wild Plants – Myths, Legends & Folklore:

     In fact, the wild pansy was valued in ancient times for its potency in love charms.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wild,‎ pansy.

   Synonyms: heartsease, Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me, Johnny-jump-up, kiss-her-in-the-buttery, kiss-me-at-the-gate, love-in-idleness, stepmother

Translations

Viola tricolor

• Catalan: pensament silvestre m
• Dutch: driekleurig viooltje n
• French: pensée sauvage (fr) f
• German: Wildes Stiefmütterchen n
• Irish: goirmín searraigh m
• Welsh: trilliw m

References

• wild pansy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “wild pansy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “pansy”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.