| Library / English Dictionary |
THISTLE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Any of numerous plants of the family Compositae and especially of the genera Carduus and Cirsium and Onopordum having prickly-edged leaves
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("thistle" is a kind of...):
weed (any plant that crowds out cultivated plants)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thistle"):
Carduus crispus; welted thistle (European biennial introduced in North America having flower heads in crowded clusters at ends of branches)
Carduus nutans; musk thistle; nodding thistle (Eurasian perennial naturalized in eastern North America having very spiny white cottony foliage and nodding musky crimson flower heads; valuable source of nectar)
carline thistle (a thistle of the genus Carlina)
plume thistle; plumed thistle (any of numerous biennial to perennial herbs with handsome purple or yellow or occasionally white flower heads)
Cirsium discolor; field thistle (stout North American thistle with purplish-pink flower heads)
Cirsium helenioides; Cirsium heterophylum; melancholy thistle (perennial stoloniferous thistle of northern Europe with lanceolate basal leaves and usually solitary heads of reddish-purple flowers)
blessed thistle; Cnicus benedictus; sweet sultan (annual of Mediterranean to Portugal having hairy stems and minutely spiny-toothed leaves and large heads of yellow flowers)
cotton thistle; Onopordon acanthium; Onopordum acanthium; Scotch thistle; woolly thistle (biennial Eurasian white hairy thistle having pale purple flowers; naturalized in North America)
golden thistle (any of several spiny Mediterranean herbs of the genus Scolymus having yellow flower heads)
Holonyms ("thistle" is a member of...):
aster family; Asteraceae; Compositae; family Asteraceae; family Compositae (plants with heads composed of many florets: aster; daisy; dandelion; goldenrod; marigold; lettuces; ragweed; sunflower; thistle; zinnia)
Context examples:
The silibinin component of milk thistle has been shown to inhibit growth factor receptor-mediated mitogenic and cell survival signaling, thereby inhibiting tumor growth.
(Milk thistle, NCI Thesaurus)
An orally available capsule-based nutritional supplement containing indole-3-carbinol, calcium-D-glucarate, Schizandra, vitamin D3, milk thistle, stinging nettle and hydroxymatairesinol (HMR) lignans, with potential estrogen modulating, antiproliferative and antioxidant activity.
(Indole-3-Carbinol/Calcium/Schizandra/Vitamin D3/Milk Thistle/Stinging Nettle/Lignan-Based Nutritional Capsule, NCI Thesaurus)
Also called blessed thistle, cardin, spotted thistle, and St. Benedict's thistle.
(Holy thistle, NCI Dictionary)
Also called cardin, holy thistle, spotted thistle, and St. Benedict's thistle.
(Blessed thistle, NCI Dictionary)
In addition, milk thistle may increase cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, exhibiting dose-dependent cardiac myocyte cytoprotection against doxorubicin.
(Milk thistle, NCI Thesaurus)
Indole-3-carbinol, found in vegetables of the Cruciferae family, may inhibit mammary cell growth and exerts antiestrogenic activity; Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and Schizandra chinensis may enhance some of the phase II detoxification enzymes; Calcium-D-glucarate and vitamin D3 may inhibit mammary cell growth; stinging nettle may exert its effect through its aromatase inhibiting activity; HMR lignans may have a beneficial effect on estrogen balance and levels.
(Indole-3-Carbinol/Calcium/Schizandra/Vitamin D3/Milk Thistle/Stinging Nettle/Lignan-Based Nutritional Capsule, NCI Thesaurus)
