common white dogwood
- noun
:
cornejo blanco común
- The common white dogwood brightens gardens in spring with its showy flowers.
Examples
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The red berries of the common white dogwood attract birds in late fall.
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In autumn, the common white dogwood displays vibrant red and purple foliage.
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The common white dogwood is a beautiful addition to any garden.
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I saw a common white dogwood blooming in the park last spring.
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In autumn, the common white dogwood displays vibrant red and purple foliage.
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The common white dogwood brightens gardens in spring with its showy flowers.
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The red berries of the common white dogwood attract birds in late fall.
Synonyms
11
5.9
A small tree or shrub that has showy flowers in spring and colorful stems
1
4.5
A small tree with bright white or pink flowers in clusters
A tree that loses its leaves in winter with showy white or pink flowers and red berries
A small tree from eastern North America with showy white or pink spring flowers and red fall berries
A small North American tree grown in gardens for its white spring flowers and red berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + adjective + noun construction: a dogwood that is white and common. A B1 learner who knows 'common', 'white', and 'dogwood' can compose the meaning directly, since modifiers simply describe the type of tree. This follows normal cross-linguistic adjective-noun composition and is therefore fully transparent.
Etymology
Common white dogwood may get its name from an old word 'dag' meaning a small pointed stick or knife. People used the tree's very hard wood to make these small sticks, so 'dagwood' changed into dogwood, the name we still use for the white-flowered tree today.