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Glite Dictionary
Roman nettle

Roman nettle

9.9
A small European plant that lives one year and has stinging leaves and green flower clusters
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : ortiga romana
  • Wearing gloves is advised when handling the leaves of a Roman nettle.

Examples

  • The gardener pulled out a Roman nettle growing near the roses.

  • The Roman nettle can often be found in damp areas.

  • Roman nettles can sometimes be found along the edges of European fields.

  • Have you seen a Roman nettle before?

  • The gardener pulled out a Roman nettle growing near the roses.

  • Wearing gloves is advised when handling the leaves of a Roman nettle.

  • The Roman nettle can often be found in damp areas.

Synonyms

Urtica pipulifera
vsRoman nettle
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives one year with stinging leaves and small green flower clusters

is the common everyday name used in ordinary speech

Surface Forms

Roman nettle singular
Roman nettles plural

Morphology

Roman + nettle

The meaning 'an annual European nettle...' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'Roman' (pertaining to Rome/Italy) with 'nettle' (a stinging plant), indicating a nettle associated with that place or tradition. Place-name + noun compounding is a common, compositional pattern across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Roman nettle probably comes from the plant being common near old Roman towns and roads, so people began to call the stinging nettle 'Roman'. That's why the name means this particular stinging plant today.