From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpimpernelpim‧per‧nel /ˈpɪmpənel $ -ər-/ noun [countable] HBPa small wild plant with flowers in various colours, especially red
Examples from the Corpus
pimpernel• Is Peter the piffle artist becoming Peter the pimpernel, who is never around when there is bad news about?Origin pimpernel (1400-1500) Old French pimprenelle, from Late Latin pimpinella, from Latin piper “pepper” 