Johnny-jump-up

6.9

A small wildflower with bright, pansy-like flowers often grown in gardens

noun
/ˈdʒɒni dʒʌmp ʌp/

: viola tricolor

The Johnny-jump-up blooms early in the spring, bringing color to the garden.
Johnny-jump-up (V. tricolor)

Examples

The Johnny-jump-up blooms beautifully in spring.
Many gardeners plant Johnny-jump-ups for their vibrant petals and resilience.
The delicate Johnny-jump-up is often used to create a natural, wildflower effect in flower beds.
Look at the lovely Johnny-jump-up flowers!
The vibrant yellow and purple flowers of Johnny-jump-ups add a cheerful touch to any garden.
In spring, the garden was alive with color, especially from the blooming Johnny-jump-ups.
Gardeners love to plant Johnny-jump-ups because of their colorful, pansy-like flowers.

Synonyms

love-in-idleness

vsJohnny-jump-up

1 9.9

A common European wildflower with purple, yellow and white flowers that garden pansies come from

is the cultivated garden form rather than the historical wild plant

Viola tricolor

vsJohnny-jump-up

Specialized

9.0

A small wild flower from Europe that many garden pansies come from

is the garden-grown colorful small flower rather than the wild original

wild pansy

vsJohnny-jump-up

4.9

A small wildflower from Europe with three coloured petals

is the garden-grown colorful small flower rather than the wild ancestor

heartsease

vsJohnny-jump-up

9.9

A small wild flower like a pansy with colorful petals

is the cultivated colorful garden form rather than the traditional wild plant

Viola pedata

vsJohnny-jump-up

Specialized

9.9

A violet with large pale blue or purple flowers like a pansy that grows in eastern North America

is the smaller garden-grown colorful flower rather than this native species

pansy violet

vsJohnny-jump-up

5.3

A common small garden flower with large pale blue or purple blooms

is the smaller garden-grown colorful flower rather than this native plant

Surface Forms

Johnny-jump-up singular

Johnny-jump-ups plural

Morphology

Johnny-jump-up = Johnny + jump (opaque) = up + Johnny + jump

Although the name is built from obvious words, the sense 'a small pansy-like wildflower' is idiomatic and not derivable from the components by an average learner. [Postprocessing: moved 'up' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Johnny-jump-up names a small wild flower that looks like a pansy and is often grown in gardens. The name likely comes from the familiar name Johnny plus the phrase jump up, because the little plants seem to 'jump up' quickly in spring and open their petals. So thinking of a tiny 'Johnny' that 'jumps up' helps you remember this lively, early-blooming garden flower.