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Glite Dictionary
golden spleen

golden spleen

9.9
A small low plant that grows in wet places near streams
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : bajo dorado
  • The stream banks were dotted with golden spleen thriving among the moss.

Examples

  • She identified the plant as a species of golden spleen, native to this region.

  • I found a patch of golden spleen by the river.

  • Researchers studied the water filtration effect of golden spleen in wetland areas.

  • The golden spleen thrives in wetland areas.

  • Researchers studied the water filtration effect of golden spleen in wetland areas.

  • She identified the plant as a species of golden spleen, native to this region.

  • The stream banks were dotted with golden spleen thriving among the moss.

Synonyms

golden saxifrage
vsgolden spleen
  • Specialized
9.6

A low plant that grows in wet places with small yellow-green flowers

is a formal description of the same plants used in taxonomy
Chrysosplenium
vsgolden spleen
  • Specialized
9.9

Small plants that grow near streams and have greenish-yellow flowers without petals

refers to individual plant species rather than the genus category

Surface Forms

golden spleen singular
golden spleens plural

Morphology

golden + spleen

This is a lexicalized plant name (genus Chrysosplenium) whose meaning as a low-growing aquatic herb is not compositionally predictable from 'golden' and 'spleen'. A B1 learner who knows 'golden' (often a color or metaphor) and 'spleen' (usually an organ or mood) would not infer a botanical taxon, so the expression is idiosyncratic and not transparently derivable from its parts.

Etymology

The plant name golden spleen may come from old words: golden for the yellow colour and spleen because people thought the small plant looked like a tiny 'spleen'. That's why golden spleen now means a low-growing yellow water plant found in wet places.