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Glite Dictionary
great ragweed

great ragweed

8.2
A tall annual plant with rough leaves divided into three or five parts common in North America
  • noun
  • /ɡreɪt ˈræɡˌwiːd/
  • US
translation icon : ambrosía trifida
  • Many people are allergic to the pollen produced by great ragweed in late summer.

Examples

  • The leaves of great ragweed are deeply divided and rough to the touch.

  • The great ragweed can grow up to ten feet tall.

  • Farmers often struggle to control great ragweed in their fields due to its rapid growth.

  • Many gardeners struggle with great ragweed in their flower beds.

  • Farmers often struggle to control great ragweed in their fields due to its rapid growth.

  • Many people are allergic to the pollen produced by great ragweed in late summer.

  • The leaves of great ragweed are deeply divided and rough to the touch.

Synonyms

ragweed
vsgreat ragweed
  • UK
4 6.1

A tall wild plant that makes many people sneeze from its pollen

denotes a specific tall North American species rather than the broader genus
Ambrosia trifida
vsgreat ragweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall annual plant that makes pollen causing allergies and has leaves divided into three or five parts

is the common name used in nontechnical contexts for that same species

Surface Forms

great ragweed singular
great ragweeds plural

Morphology

great + ragweed

The meaning 'a large or tall ragweed' is directly and transparently derivable from 'great' (very large) + 'ragweed' (a plant). This ADJ+NOUN compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE as referring to a large species of ragweed.

Etymology

Great ragweed comes from a simple picture: people saw a very large weed with rough, torn leaves that looked like rags. So calling it great plus ragweed helped people remember 'a tall, ragged weed', which fits the large plant that often causes allergies today.