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Glite Dictionary
Aster novi-belgii

Aster novi-belgii

9.9
A plant from North America that lives for many years and has small purple, pink, or white flowers in autumn
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Aster novi-belgii
  • You can find Aster novi-belgii thriving along roadsides across Europe and North America.

Examples

  • The Aster novi-belgii adds vibrant color to gardens in late autumn.

  • Many gardeners appreciate Aster novi-belgii for its long flowering season and resilience.

  • Look at how vibrant the Aster novi-belgii flowers are!

  • The Aster novi-belgii blooms in various colors.

  • Many gardeners appreciate Aster novi-belgii for its long flowering season and resilience.

  • The Aster novi-belgii adds vibrant color to gardens in late autumn.

  • You can find Aster novi-belgii thriving along roadsides across Europe and North America.

Synonyms

New York aster
vsAster novi-belgii
  • US
2 7.5

A plant with small purple, pink or white flowers that bloom in autumn

is the older botanical name used for the same North American perennial
Michaelmas daisy
vsAster novi-belgii
  • US
9.4

A garden plant with small purple, pink, or white flowers that bloom in autumn

is a regional common name for the same species rather than a formal name

Surface Forms

Aster novi-belgii singular
Aster novi-belgii plural

Morphology

aster + novi-belgii

The constituent 'aster' clearly signals a type of flower, so a learner who knows that word can infer the referent is a plant; however 'novi-belgii' is a Latin binomial epithet (not a transparent English word) and does not convey an obvious meaning to a B1 learner. Scientific names function as proper labels for species and give limited compositional information, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Aster novi-belgii may come from two simple ideas in Latin: aster means 'star' because the flower's petals spread like a little star, and novi-belgii means 'New Belgium', a place name that links the plant to a region where it was known. So the name helps you remember it as the star-like flower from that region.