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Glite Dictionary
dragon's head

dragon's head

9.9
A North American herb with long narrow toothed leaves and purple flower spikes
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : cabeza de dragón
  • She identified the plant by its distinct leaves and realized it was dragon's head.

Examples

  • Many gardeners love dragon's head for its unique flowers that attract pollinators.

  • The dragon's head plant thrives in sunny areas.

  • Gardeners recommend dragon's head for its hardy nature and attractive violet flowers.

  • The garden's centerpiece was a stunning patch of dragon's head in full bloom.

  • Many gardeners love the dragon's head for its unique flowers.

  • Gardeners recommend dragon's head for its hardy nature and attractive violet flowers.

  • The garden's centerpiece was a stunning patch of dragon's head in full bloom.

Synonyms

Dracocephalum parviflorum
vsdragon's head
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American mint herb with long pointed toothed leaves and spikes of blue or purple flowers

is the broader genus name rather than the single species
dragonhead
vsdragon's head
  • US
9.9

A small herb with pointed saw-edged leaves and spikes of blue or violet flowers

is the same name but written without the apostrophe and space
Dracocephalum
vsdragon's head
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small American plants with scented leaves called dragonheads

is a single North American herb name rather than the broader genus

Surface Forms

dragon's head singular
dragon's heads plural

Morphology

dragon's + head

Although the parts 'dragon' and 'head' are semantically transparent individually, their combination is a lexicalized plant name (Dracocephalum) whose botanical meaning is not predictable from an animal + body-part reading. A B1 learner who knows 'dragon' and 'head' would not reliably infer that this refers to a specific herb, so the expression functions idiomatically and is opaque.

Etymology

Dragon's head comes from the shape of its flowers: the top of each flower looks like a small dragon head with a curved 'mouth'. So people used that picture to name the herb, and today the phrase means the plant with those blue-violet flowers.