pussy willow

1. 1.

   small willow of eastern North America having greyish leaves and silky catkins that come before the leaves

   SynonymsSalix discolor

   Broaderwillow

   Part ofSalix
2. 2.

   much-branched Old World willow having large catkins and relatively large broad leaves

   Synonymsgoat willowflorist's willowSalix caprea

   Broadersallow

   Part ofSalix

Questions about pussy willow

What does pussy willow mean?

pussy willow means "small willow of eastern North America having greyish leaves and silky catkins that come before the leaves". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

What is another word for pussy willow?

Close synonyms include Salix discolor, goat willow, florist's willow, Salix caprea. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is pussy willow a common word?

pussy willow is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.