Meaning
A type of passionflower, purple in color (Passiflora incarnata).
Etymology
Origin: Unknown
Uncertain. Plausible etymologies compete: *From the flowers tending to emerge in May. *From a popping sound made by stepping on dropped fruit. *An alteration of maracock, a similar flower; perhaps influenced by macock.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
purple passionflowertrue passionflowerwild apricotwild passion vine
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025.