Other forms: honeysuckles
Honeysuckle is a climber with tubes of flower full of sweet nectar. The scent of honeysuckle, honeysuckle over the door, wild honeysuckle.
It smells strongest at dusk, because it is pollinated by moths, and the long tube means only a long tongue can reach the nectar. Children pull the flower out to taste the drop at the base, which is where the name came from.
1nounhoneysuckleA climber with tubes of flower full of sweet nectar.
“The cottage porch was covered in honeysuckle, and bees buzzed around its yellow flowers.”
honeysuckle is a plant.
Middle English honysokel, from honey plus suck, for the drop of nectar children draw from the flower.
Middle English
honysokel
English, today
honeysuckle
Built from
From Middle English honysokel, honisokel, honysocle, hunisuccle, perhaps an alteration of Middle English honysoke, honysouke (“honeysuckle”) (whence honeysuck), from Old English huniġsūce, huniġsūge (“honeysuckle”); equivalent to honey + suck + -le, or honeysuck + le.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA