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Glite Dictionary
caper spurge

caper spurge

9.9
A poisonous plant with milky sap whose seeds have an oil once used as a laxative
  • noun
  • /ˈkeɪpər spɜrdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : euforbia lathyris
  • The gardener warned me that the caper spurge is poisonous and should not be touched.

Examples

  • Children should be taught to avoid the caper spurge, as its oil can be harmful.

  • In the landscape, the yellow flowers of the caper spurge stand out among the greenery.

  • Caper spurge

    Blog text (29)

Synonyms

Euphorbia lathyris
vscaper spurge
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous plant from southern Europe whose seeds make an oil that causes severe diarrhea

is the common name used for the same plant
mole plant
vscaper spurge
  • UK
9.9

A garden plant that is poisonous and grown to keep moles away

focuses on its native origin and seed oil rather than garden use

Surface Forms

caper spurge singular
caper spurges plural

Morphology

caper + spurge

The constituent 'spurge' signals a plant in the spurge family, so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer this is a type of plant. However, 'caper' functions as a species-specific modifier with no transparent link to the detailed meaning (poisonous, seeds yielding purgative oil), and botanical names are largely lexicalized and unpredictable, so the overall interpretation is only partially recoverable.

Etymology

Caper spurge mixes two old ideas: spurge comes from a word meaning 'to purge' because people used the plant's milky sap as a strong medicine, and caper may come from the look of its seeds or leaves, like the caper plant. So, the name helps you remember it is a plant with a strong, often poisonous sap whose seeds were used as a 'purgative'.