What does clotbur mean?
Clotbur is a common English name for the burdock plant (Arctium), a coarse biennial weed recognized by its broad leaves and round, prickly seed heads. The word can refer either to the whole plant or specifically to its clinging burs, whose minute hooks fasten so effectively onto animal fur and human clothing that they have spread the species across temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Historically, burdock has been valued as much as it has been cursed: its roots are edible and have long been used in traditional medicine and cooking, while its burs made it a nuisance to farmers and shepherds. The plant even played a role in modern invention — Swiss engineer George de Mestral studied its burs under a microscope and was inspired to create Velcro. Though "burdock" has largely displaced it in everyday use, "clotbur" survives in botanical literature and rural speech as a vivid, old-fashioned name for one of nature's most tenacious hitchhikers.
nounA prickly flowering plant of the genus Arctium, especially common burdock (Arctium minus); also called the burdock, known for its hooked burs that cling to fur and clothing.
- The burdock plant (genus Arctium), a coarse weed with broad leaves and prickly burs.
- The prickly seed head or bur of this plant, which adheres to fur and fabric.
"The dog came back from the meadow covered in the clinging seed heads of the clotbur."
"She pulled a stubborn clotbur from the hem of her coat after the walk through the fields."
"Common clotbur flourishes along roadsides and waste ground throughout temperate Europe and North America."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple individual plants or seed heads.
"Several clotburs had taken root along the fence line."
The tenacious burs of the clotbur inspired Swiss engineer George de Mestral to invent Velcro after examining them under a microscope.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clotbur
The word clotbur derives from Middle English "clote," an old name for the burdock, combined with "bur," referring to the plant's prickly seed head. It has been used since at least the early modern period in British English to describe the plant's clinging fruit. Cognate forms such as "clote" appear in earlier medieval herbals, where the plant was noted for both its medicinal uses and its nuisance value.
How clotbur is actually used
A somewhat dated or regional folk name; "burdock" is now the standard term. The plural may be clotpurs or simply treated as an uncountable mass noun when referring to the plant generally.
Easily confused with clotbur
Cocklebur (Xanthium) is a different prickly weed with similar clinging burs, whereas clotbur properly refers to burdock plants of the genus Arctium.