Dawn and the dandelions

My friend Dawn has sent me an e-mail of a charming story she wrote about her grand mother showing her how to pull weeds (hold the weed close to the ground, twist and pull), back when she was four. At the end of the piece, she mentions dandelions. Like most people, I'm familiar with the dandelion, having pulled a few out of the ground in my days but, for the life of me, couldn't remember the French word for it. I knew it had been the symbol of Larousse, the ubiquitous publisher of dictionaries and encyclopedias of all types for years, but couldn't translate it. My English-French dictionary (Larousse) told me that dandelion is "dent de lion" or "pissenlit". "Dent de lion" is the literal translation of the Latin name "dens leonis" or lion's tooth, from the toothed outline of the leaves. Which explains the origin of dandelion, from "dent-de-lion". They almost sound alike. The amusing thing is that the French don't use the word. They say "pissenlit" which translates as bed-wetter. And for good reason. The dandelion is known for its diuretic properties.