mallow

noun

mal·​low ˈma-(ˌ)lō 

: any of a genus (Malva of the family Malvaceae, the mallow family) of herbs with palmately lobed or dissected leaves, usually showy flowers, and a disk-shaped fruit

Illustration of mallow

Examples of mallow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Guez had intended to dry the root, stem, and leaves of the mallow plants between sheets of white pressing paper, like botanical specimens, but at the last minute decided to freeze the process at the fragile moment before a living plant becomes history. —Karen Chernick, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

In the kitchen, his fridge and pantry were stocked with esoteric ingredients: a cactus glaze, cold pickled desert mallow shrub, prickly pear sambal, bee pollen shoyu, mesquite sap. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 16 Sep. 2024

While marsh mallow needs a moist environment to thrive, such as at the edge of a water pond or anywhere in the garden that stays moist, planting it in a permanently wet bog or swamp is not to its liking. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 10 Aug. 2024

Like bush anemone, desert mallow grows best with limited watering. —Viveka Neveln, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English malwe, from Old English mealwe, from Latin malva

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mallow

• globe mallow
• marsh mallow
• rose mallow

Kids Definition

mallow

noun

mal·​low ˈmal-ō 

: any of a group of herbs with lobed leaves, usually showy flowers, and a disk-shaped fruit