dog laurel
- noun
- /dɔg ˈlɔrəl/
- US
:
laurel de perro
- In early spring, the dog laurel blooms with delicate white flowers along its branches.
Examples
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Gardeners in the southeastern states often use dog laurel as an ornamental plant for its attractive foliage.
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The dog laurel thrives in moist, well-drained soil.
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The dense growth of dog laurel made it difficult to walk through the forest path.
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Many gardeners love the dog laurel for its fragrant flowers.
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In early spring, the dog laurel blooms with delicate white flowers along its branches.
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Gardeners in the southeastern states often use dog laurel as an ornamental plant for its attractive foliage.
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The dog laurel thrives in moist, well-drained soil.
Synonyms
A fast-growing evergreen bush with arching branches, dense leaves and clusters of white flowers
A fast-growing bush that keeps leaves all year with arching branches and white flowers
An evergreen shrub native to the southeastern United States with arching branches and groups of white flowers
A quickly growing bush that stays green all year with arching crossed branches and white flower clusters
Surface Forms
Morphology
dog + laurel
The headword 'laurel' clearly signals an evergreen shrub, and 'dog' functions as a modifier indicating a particular/common or informal variety (as in dogwood or dog rose), so a learner who knows both words can infer this is a kind of laurel-like plant. However, the specific botanical details (fast-growing habit, arching branches, clusters of white flowers) are not predictable from the parts alone, making the relation only partially transparent.
Etymology
Dog laurel comes from a simple image: people used dog before a plant when it looked like a better plant but was 'not a true laurel', and laurel shows its laurel-like leaves. So the name helps you remember it is an evergreen shrub that looks like a laurel but is actually a different woodland plant.
