Croton tiglium
- noun
- Indian
:
Croton tiglium
- The seeds of Croton tiglium are pressed to produce croton oil, which must be handled with great caution.
Examples
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Botanists classified the unfamiliar shrub as Croton tiglium after examining its leaves and seeds.
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Farmers cultivate Croton tiglium for its valuable seeds.
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Croton tiglium was once widely used in traditional Asian medicine for its potent purgative effects.
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The Croton tiglium plant is known for its medicinal properties.
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The seeds of Croton tiglium are pressed to produce croton oil, which must be handled with great caution.
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Croton tiglium was once widely used in traditional Asian medicine for its potent purgative effects.
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Farmers cultivate Croton tiglium for its valuable seeds.
Synonyms
A tropical shrub from Asia whose seeds make oil used in medicine
Surface Forms
Morphology
croton + tiglium
The form combines the genus name 'Croton' (a tropical shrub) with a Latin specific epithet 'tiglium', so a learner who knows 'croton' can reasonably infer this refers to a particular species of Croton and thus a plant. However, the full sense (that it is cultivated for seeds that yield croton oil and other medicinal details) and the meaning of the epithet 'tiglium' are not derivable from the parts for an average B1 learner. Because the binomial pattern gives partial clue (species identity) but not the detailed meaning, it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Croton tiglium takes its name from the first part Croton, a Greek word for 'tick' because the seeds look like little ticks, and the second part tiglium probably comes from a local name for the shrub. So, the name points to the plant's small seeds and the strong 'croton oil' made from them, which was used as a medicine.
