Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several plants of the genus Antirrhinum of the figwort family, especially A. majus, widely cultivated for its showy racemes of two-lipped, variously colored flowers.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A plant of the genus Antirrhinum, especially the common garden-flower A. majus and its varieties.
  • noun A sport in which raisins or grapes are snapped from burning brandy and eaten.
  • noun A glass-makers' longs.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Any plant of the scrrophulariaceous genus Antirrhinum, especially the cultivated A. majus, whose showy flowers are fancifully likened to the face of a dragon.
  • noun A West Indian herb (Ruellia tuberosa) with curiously shaped blue flowers.
  • noun A play in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; also, that which is so eaten. See Flapdragon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers supposedly like the face of a dragon.
  • noun A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a garden plant of the genus Antirrhinum having showy white or yellow or crimson flowers resembling the face of a dragon

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From the imagined resemblance of the flowers to the mouth of a dragon.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

snap +‎ dragon

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Examples

  • What until twenty years ago was universally called a snapdragon is now called an antirrhinum, a word no one can spell without consulting a dictionary.

    As I Please 1944

  • You think that having a snapdragon is a requirement for a smart-phone.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • You think that having a snapdragon is a requirement for a smart-phone.

    Original Signal - Transmitting Gadgets 2010

  • You think that having a snapdragon is a requirement for a smart-phone.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • You think that having a snapdragon is a requirement for a smart-phone.

    Original Signal - Transmitting Gadgets 2010

  • NEW Qualcomm processor (not the now classic 'snapdragon') that runs very efficiently meaning longer batter life - runs considerably cooler - and has already demoed beautifully.

    PCMag.com: New Product Reviews 2010

  • Some cold weather annuals are still available such as snapdragon, sweet pea, iceland poppy, pansy, candytuft, and more.

    Blisstree 2010

  • And once again here she felt that luck waited on merit, for though when she dressed that evening she found she had not anticipated that artificial light would cast a somewhat pale (though not ghastly) reflection from the vibrant blue on to her features, similar in effect to (but not so marked as) the light that shines on the faces of those who lean over the burning brandy and raisins of "snapdragon," this interesting pallor seemed very aptly to bear witness to all that she had gone through.

    Miss Mapp 1903

  • Instead, I open and close the mouth of a yellow snapdragon, pretending it can talk.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

  • Instead, I open and close the mouth of a yellow snapdragon, pretending it can talk.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

Comments

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  • This dedicated to the lovely Faye Lynam, dear daughter of some dear friends.

    SNAPDRAGON

    "We’re playing brag on

    Wednesday next, Dragon"

    Said Faye Rose Lynam

    “Cards! I’d rather play Snap

    ‘Cause I’m an Antirrhinum!�?

    March 10, 2008