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Glite Dictionary
bishop's hat

bishop's hat

9.9
A low, slow-growing plant with leaves that stay green part of the year and cover the ground
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : sombrero de obispo
  • In spring, delicate flowers appear on the bishop's hat, adding charm to the landscape.

Examples

  • The shady border in their garden was covered with bishop's hat to keep weeds down.

  • Gardeners often choose bishop's hat for its attractive foliage and hardiness.

  • The garden features beautiful bishop's hat plants.

  • I love the bishop's hats blooming in spring.

  • Many gardeners appreciate bishop's hat for its lush green leaves and resilience in shaded areas.

  • To create a low-maintenance garden, they planted bishop's hat along the pathway as ground cover.

  • The bishop's hat thrives in partial shade, making it an ideal choice for shady garden spots.

Synonyms

barrenwort
vsbishop's hat
1 9.9

A slow-growing plant with thin stems and leaves that stay green most of the year used as ground cover

is the general genus name rather than this common name
Epimedium
vsbishop's hat
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of shade plants with pretty leaves and small flowers

is the common name used for that same genus
Epimedium grandiflorum
vsbishop's hat
  • Specialized
9.9

A low creeping garden plant with heart-shaped leaves and small spring flowers used as ground cover

is the broader common name covering many species not just one

Surface Forms

bishop's hat singular
bishop's hats plural

Morphology

bishop's + hat

The name 'bishop's hat' is a conventional plant name based on a perceived resemblance to a bishop's headwear; a B1 learner who knows 'bishop' and 'hat' might infer a shape or object related to a hat but would not reliably infer that it denotes a slow-growing, creeping groundcover (Epimedium). Because the relation is metaphorical and lexicalized rather than a directly compositional referent, the expression is only partially predictable to learners.

Etymology

The plant bishop's hat gets its name from the small flowers and seed pods that look like the pointed hat a bishop wears, making a clear picture in the mind. One popular story says people named the low, spreading plant after that hat shape, so the name now helps you remember this 'ground cover' plant.