pissabed

Definition

Any dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), formerly much used for its diuretic properties.

Etymology

From piss + bed or piss + abed, so called after the dandelion's supposed diuretic effect. Compare French pissenlit.

Example Sentences

• "Of flowers there was no trace, save of the flowers that plant themselves, or never die […] The chief of these was the pissabed."
• "The tufted hillock […] had no buildings on and only golden clumps of piss-the-bed that were not yet gone into misty balls of seed."