great mullein
- noun
- /ɡreɪt ˈmʌlɪn/
:
mullein mayor
- The great mullein stood nearly six feet tall in the garden, its yellow flowers bright against the stone wall.
Examples
-
During our hike, we spotted several great mulleins growing on the hillside, their woolly leaves soft to the touch.
-
In ancient times, people used great mullein stalks dipped in fat as torches for ceremonies.
-
The great mullein grows in sunny areas.
-
Many gardeners appreciate the great mullein for its beauty.
-
In ancient times, people used great mullein stalks dipped in fat as torches for ceremonies.
-
The great mullein stood nearly six feet tall in the garden, its yellow flowers bright against the stone wall.
-
During our hike, we spotted several great mulleins growing on the hillside, their woolly leaves soft to the touch.
Synonyms
A tall plant with soft, hairy leaves and long spikes of yellow flowers
A tall plant with hairy leaves and tall spikes of yellow flowers
A tall plant with soft woolly leaves and yellow flower spikes
A tall plant with soft, hairy leaves and yellow flowers
A tall plant with soft hairy leaves and bright yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun compound: 'great' (large/notable) modifies 'mullein' (a tall plant), so the overall meaning — a large or notable mullein plant — is directly derivable from the constituents. This follows a common, cross-linguistic naming pattern for plants and contains no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows the two words will understand it.
Etymology
Great mullein is the name for a very tall plant with soft, woolly leaves whose stiff flower stalks were often dipped in fat and used as 'torches' in old times. Because the plant is unusually large, so great, and the stalks made good light, the name came to mean this tall, torch-making plant.
