green alder
- noun
- /ɡrin ˈɔldər/
:
aliso verde
- The green alder is often found along riverbanks in northern forests.
Examples
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We identified the tree by its distinctive winged nuts characteristic of the green alder.
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Botanists studied how the green alder adapted to the colder climate.
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The green alder thrives in moist, shaded areas.
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Many green alders grow along the riverbank.
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The green alder shrub thrives in the cool, shaded areas of the forest.
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We planted several green alder bushes along the edge of the garden.
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The landscape was enhanced by the vibrant green alder trees surrounding the pond.
Synonyms
4
5.5
A tree with toothed leaves that often grows near rivers and wet ground
A small tree or shrub with green leaves that grows in mountains
A small bush with light green leaves and winged nuts that often grows by rivers in northern North America
An alder shrub from North America with light green leaves and winged nuts
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'green alder' is a straightforward adjective + noun compound: a B1 learner who knows 'green' and 'alder' can infer it denotes an alder (a type of tree/shrub) that is green or characterized by green leaves. Color + noun constructions are highly compositional and cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is directly derivable from the parts and not idiomatic.
Etymology
Green alder comes from the simple image of a small alder with bright green leaves that often grows by rivers and in cool mountain areas. People used those two words to name that particular 'shrub', so today green alder means the alder shrub you find on northern riverbanks and in the mountains.