gray polypody
- noun
- /ɡreɪ ˈpɒlɪpədi/
- US
:
polipodio gris
- The underside of the gray polypody's fronds felt distinctly scurfy to the touch.
Examples
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We spotted a gray polypody growing on the old stone wall near the river.
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You can often find gray polypodies on tree trunks.
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Botanists documented the spread of gray polypody across several regions in South America.
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The gray polypody thrives in rocky environments.
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Botanists documented the spread of gray polypody across several regions in South America.
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We spotted a gray polypody growing on the old stone wall near the river.
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The underside of the gray polypody's fronds felt distinctly scurfy to the touch.
Synonyms
A fern that grows on tree trunks or rocks and survives long dry periods
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'gray' modifies the species noun 'polypody', so the phrase denotes a polypody that is grayish. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can directly infer the meaning from the parts; the descriptive modifier pattern is cross-linguistically common and not idiomatic.
Etymology
Gray polypody paints a simple picture: gray refers to the grey, scaly underside of its fronds, and polypody comes from words meaning 'many' and 'feet' because the fern has many little root pads or frond bases that look like tiny feet. So the name helps you remember a fern with grey undersides and many small 'feet' that often grows on rocks or tree trunks.
