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fanwort

fanwort

1 9.9
A water plant with floating and underwater leaves and white flowers with yellow spots
  • noun
  • US
: fanwort
  • The white yellow-spotted flowers of the fanwort added a delicate beauty to the quiet lake.

Examples

  • The pond was filled with fanwort, making it difficult to see the fish below.

  • The fanwort grows abundantly in freshwater lakes.

  • Gardeners often struggle to control fanwort because it spreads so quickly in freshwater habitats.

  • Many fanworts can be found in the ponds near my house.

  • The pond was filled with fanwort, making it difficult to see the fish below.

  • Gardeners often struggle to control fanwort because it spreads so quickly in freshwater habitats.

  • The white yellow-spotted flowers of the fanwort added a delicate beauty to the quiet lake.

Synonyms

Cabomba caroliniana
vsfanwort
  • Specialized
9.9

A water plant with feathery leaves and small white flowers that grows in ponds and aquariums

is the common name used instead of that specific species label

Surface Forms

fanwort singular
fanworts plural

Morphology

fanwort = fan + wort (semi-transparent) = fan + wort

The first element 'fan' clearly evokes fan-shaped leaves, but 'wort' is an archaic/formational element meaning 'plant' that many learners will not know, so the compound's meaning is only partly obvious.

Etymology

Fanwort comes from two simple parts, fan and wort, where wort is an old English word for 'plant'. So fanwort literally means a 'fan-shaped plant', which helps you remember this water plant whose leaves look like little fans.