crinkle root
- noun
- US
:
raíz de crinkle
- The chef added grated crinkle root to the salad for an extra kick.
Examples
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Native Americans traditionally used crinkle root for its medicinal properties.
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You'll find crinkle root growing wild in damp, wooded areas across North America.
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I added some crinkle root to the soup for flavor.
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Have you ever tried crinkle root in your dishes?
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Native Americans traditionally used crinkle root for its medicinal properties.
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The chef added grated crinkle root to the salad for an extra kick.
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You'll find crinkle root growing wild in damp, wooded areas across North America.
Synonyms
A North American plant that lives many years with two large leaves and white spring flowers
A North American wild herb with two heart-shaped leaves and strong-smelling roots
A North American wild plant with toothed leaves and strong smelling roots used to add taste or to treat illness
A small wild plant with strong-tasting roots that grows in moist woods
A North American plant with strong spicy roots used for food and medicine
A small North American plant with white spring flowers and toothed roots
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositional: 'crinkle' (a small wrinkle) modifies 'root', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a root with a wrinkled or scaly appearance, likely a plant part used as an herb. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift in the given definition, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
The name crinkle root comes from the look of the plant: the crinkle part means the wrinkled, wavy shape and the root is the part you eat or use. Because those wrinkled roots have a 'strong taste' and were used for cooking and medicine, the name came to mean this North American herb.
