almond-leaves willow
- noun
- Specialized
- The almond-leaves willow flourishes along the banks of western rivers.
Examples
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We planted an almond-leaves willow in our backyard for its beautiful, almond-shaped leaves.
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Botanists admire the unique foliage of the almond-leaves willow.
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The almond-leaves willow is beautiful in spring.
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We saw an almond-leaves willow by the river.
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The almond-leaves willow has stunning leaves that are often compared to those of peach trees.
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In our botanical garden, the almond-leaves willow attracts many visitors with its striking foliage.
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You can identify the almond-leaves willow by looking for its distinctive almond-shaped leaves.
Synonyms
A willow tree that grows in western North America with leaves like almond trees
A tree with long, narrow leaves like a peach tree that grows near rivers
A willow tree with long narrow leaves like a peach tree
Surface Forms
Morphology
almond-leaves + willow
The phrase is a descriptive compound: a willow whose leaves resemble those of an almond (or peach) tree, so the meaning follows directly from combining 'almond' + 'leaves' as a modifier of 'willow'. Even though 'almond-leaves' is not listed in the dictionary, the compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name almond-leaves willow comes from a simple picture: the willow has long leaves that look like an almond, so the name means a kind of tree with 'almond-shaped leaves'.