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Glite Dictionary
bitterbrush

bitterbrush

1 9.0
A hardy shrub in dry western North America eaten by deer and other animals
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪtərˌbrʌʃ/
  • Specialized
: bitterbrush
  • During the hike, we noticed that bitterbrush was the main vegetation in the dry creek bed.
  • sage and bitterbrush

Examples

  • White Ash walked behind him, following the route he picked through the sage and bitterbrush.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Bitterbrush, trees, and sage meander over the slopes fanning out beyond the town.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Higher on the hills to the south, limber pine and juniper dotted the slopes, mixing with scattered sage and occasional bitterbrush.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Deer often graze on bitterbrush along the dry foothills of the mountains.

  • The bitterbrush shrub thrives in arid climates, providing food for various wildlife.

Synonyms

Purshia
vsbitterbrush
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small bushes that grow in western North America and provide food for wild animals

is the common, nontechnical name used in everyday speech

Surface Forms

bitterbrush singular
bitterbrushes plural

Morphology

bitterbrush = bitter + brush (transparent) = bitter + brush

The compound is a straightforward descriptive compound: a shrub ('brush') characterized by a bitter taste ('bitter').

Etymology

Bitterbrush is a simple English compound: bitter means 'sharp or unpleasant in taste' and brush means 'small bushes'. So the name literally tells you what it is, a shrub with bitter-tasting leaves that grows in dry places and is eaten by animals like deer.