moss pink

noun

: a low-growing perennial phlox (Phlox subulata) widely cultivated for its abundant usually pink or white flowers

Examples of moss pink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Despite its name, the Pink Moon isn’t actually pink — it’s named after the moss pink, one of spring’s first wildflowers to bloom. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Specifically, the hot pink wildflower Phlox subulata, referred to as creeping phlox, moss phlox or moss pink, densely mats the slopes of eastern and central United States around the same time as April’s full moon, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025 The Pink Moon was given its name to represent the bloom of the creeping phlox (otherwise known as moss pink), a flowering plant that blankets much of the eastern and central U.S. from April through early May. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025 The pink moon gets its name from moss pink, sometimes called wild ground phlox, one of the most prevalent blooms in the early spring. Unable to view our graphics? Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025 The pink moon is named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025 The pink moon is named after the phlox subulata flower, also known as moss pink or moss phlox, which blooms in North America during the springtime. Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 26 Apr. 2024 The full moon in April is known as the pink moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024 The moon will not turn pink or even look pink; instead, the moniker comes from a ground-covering plant, moss pink, that’s among the earliest bloomers in the spring. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of moss pink was in 1845

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Cite this Entry

“Moss pink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moss%20pink. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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