cow cockle

9.9

A small European annual plant with pale pink flowers that often grows as a weed in grain fields

noun

: hierba de vaca

The cow cockle brightened the edges of the wheat fields with its delicate pink flowers.

Examples

Gardeners sometimes cultivate cow cockle for its attractive blossoms, despite its reputation as a weed.
Many farmers consider the cow cockle a weed.
European settlers inadvertently spread cow cockle to North America, where it has naturalized in many regions.
The cow cockle blooms in late spring.
European settlers inadvertently spread cow cockle to North America, where it has naturalized in many regions.
Gardeners sometimes cultivate cow cockle for its attractive blossoms, despite its reputation as a weed.
The cow cockle brightened the edges of the wheat fields with its delicate pink flowers.

Synonyms

Saponaria vaccaria

vscow cockle

Specialized

9.9

An annual plant from Europe with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens and sometimes a weed

is the common named plant often seen in grain fields or gardens

cowherb

vscow cockle

9.9

A small European plant with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens or found in grain fields

is described only as the European native plant without introduction mention

Vaccaria hispanica

vscow cockle

9.9

A small European annual wildflower with pale rose-colored blooms often in grain fields and gardens

is used both as a cultivated ornamental and as an occasional field weed

Vaccaria pyramidata

vscow cockle

9.9

A European annual plant with pale pink flowers often grown in gardens or a weed in grain fields

focuses on its European origin and garden or field presence

Surface Forms

cow cockle singular

cow cockles plural

Morphology

cow + cockle

The compound 'cow cockle' is a lexicalized plant name whose meaning (a specific pale rose-flowered annual) is not predictably derived from the literal senses of 'cow' and 'cockle'—the latter is itself ambiguous (e.g., a shellfish or other senses). Botanical and folk names are often arbitrary or historical, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to infer this specific plant meaning.

Etymology

Cow cockle may come from the plant often growing in fields where cows grazed and from the older word cockle, which was used for small wild plants. That's why the name now refers to this small pink field 'weed'.