Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

snapdragon

/ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.70 in modern English

Syllables: snap-drag-on
IPA: /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.

Countable

noun

A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"[…]of kitchen-gardens, and straight herb-borders, and warm snap-dragon beset by bees;"
"Snapdragon leaves are asymmetrical with respect to dorsal-ventral surfaces (Fig. 6.6A)."
"2000, Margaret Roberts, Edible & Medicinal Flowers, New Africa Books (The Spearhead Press), page 72, The snapdragon is indigenous to Europe and has been a much loved garden plant since before the Middle Ages, when it was considered an antidote against witchcraft."
"Modern snapdragons aren't usually grown for their scent, although some do smell slightly spicy."
"He bore a ſtrange kind of Appetite to Snap-dragon, and to the livid Snuffs of a burning Candle, which he would catch and ſwallow with an Agility, wonderful to conceive; [...]"
""And now for snap-dragon," said Marian. "Exactly as you predicted, Mr. Graham," said Madeline; "blind-man's buff at a quarter past three, and snap-dragon at five.""

Etymology

(1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print. Other animal-based names for the flower are common; compare Greek σκυλάκι (skyláki, literally “puppy”) and Finnish leijonankita (literally “lion's mouth”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

snapdragons (plural) snap dragon (alternative) snap-dragon (alternative)

Phrases

common snapdragon Mediterranean snapdragon snapdragon double summer snapdragon

Synonyms

dragon flower flapdragon

Questions

How do you pronounce snapdragon?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/.
What does snapdragon mean?: Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers.
Where does snapdragon come from?: (1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print. Other animal-based names for the flower are common; compare Greek σκυλάκι (skyláki, literally “puppy”) and Finnish leijonankita (literally “lion's mouth”).

How to pronounce snapdragon

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “snapdragon”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “snapdragon”.
Repeat and practice — Say “snapdragon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.