common dandelion

2.2

A plant with yellow flowers and jagged leaves often eaten or seen as a weed

noun
/ˈkɑːmən ˈdændɪlaɪən/

: diente de león común

The common dandelion is often considered a weed but is edible and nutritious.

Examples

She picked a bunch of common dandelion leaves to add to her salad.
Many gardeners struggle to remove common dandelion from their lawns each spring.
The common dandelion is often found in gardens.
Have you ever tried a salad with common dandelion leaves?
She picked a bunch of common dandelion leaves to add to her salad.
Many gardeners struggle to remove common dandelion from their lawns each spring.
The common dandelion is often considered a weed but is edible and nutritious.

Synonyms

dandelion

vscommon dandelion

22 1.0

A common wild plant with bright yellow flowers and a round puff of seeds

highlights origin and edible and wine uses rather than only appearance

Taraxacum officinale

vscommon dandelion

Specialized

7.2

A common wild plant with yellow flowers and fluffy seed heads whose leaves are eaten in salads

is the common everyday name rather than the formal Latin label

Surface Forms

common dandelion singular

common dandelions plural

Morphology

common + dandelion

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'common' (frequently occurring) modifies 'dandelion' (a plant), so the meaning 'a dandelion that is common/widespread' is directly derivable from its parts. This compositional pattern is regular in English and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Common dandelion comes from old French 'dent-de-lion', which means 'lion's tooth', because the plant's leaves have deep, tooth-like edges. The word 'common' simply shows it is found in many places and is a familiar weed today.