Humulus lupulus
- noun
- Specialized
:
Humulus lupulus
- The flowers of Humulus lupulus are essential for brewing traditional ales and lagers.
Examples
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Farmers in the region cultivate Humulus lupulus for local craft breweries.
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Hops, derived from Humulus lupulus, impart a distinctive bitterness and aroma to beer.
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The Humulus lupulus plant is essential for brewing beer.
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Many brewers prefer Humulus lupulus for its aromatic qualities.
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Humulus lupulus is widely cultivated for its flowers, which are essential in brewing beer.
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The flavor of the beer was enhanced by the addition of Humulus lupulus during fermentation.
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Farmers in the region grow Humulus lupulus primarily to supply local breweries with fresh hops.
Synonyms
43
5.8
A climbing plant with heart-shaped leaves used to give beer a bitter taste
A climbing plant whose flowers brewers use to give beer a bitter taste
A climbing plant whose flowers give beer a bitter taste and smell
A climbing plant from Europe whose flowers are used to flavour beer
Dried flowers from a climbing plant used to give beer a bitter taste and smell
Surface Forms
Morphology
Humulus + lupulus
This is a scientific binomial (genus + species) so its form is compositionally transparent as the name of a plant: knowing 'Humulus' (a climbing plant associated with brewing) and the species label lets a learner infer it names a particular hop. However, the specific usage sense ('flowers used to flavor beer') and the exact common name 'common hop' require domain/botanical knowledge beyond simple word meanings, and one constituent ('lupulus') is not lexically informative here. Therefore the expression is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The plant Humulus lupulus gets its name from old Latin words: humulus ('small ground plant') and lupulus ('little wolf'). One popular story says hops climbed and seemed to 'bite' other plants like a little wolf, and because its flowers are used to flavor beer the name now refers to the hop plant used in brewing.