hedge garlic

8.6

A wild plant whose leaves smell like garlic when crushed

noun
/hɛdʒ ˈɡɑrlɪk/

: ajo de seto

The leaves of hedge garlic release a strong garlic aroma when crushed.

Examples

She added some fresh hedge garlic to the salad for extra flavor.
Many gardeners remove hedge garlic because it spreads rapidly in woodlands.
I found some hedge garlic in the garden.
The hedge garlic plants are thriving this spring.
The leaves of hedge garlic release a strong garlic aroma when crushed.
She added some fresh hedge garlic to the salad for extra flavor.
Many gardeners remove hedge garlic because it spreads rapidly in woodlands.

Synonyms

sauce-alone

vshedge garlic

9.9

A leafy herb with a mild garlic smell used in salads or cooking

is identical in meaning but presented with a different name form

garlic mustard

vshedge garlic

6.1

A plant with green leaves that smell like garlic when crushed

is the same species description without the family detail

Alliaria officinalis

vshedge garlic

Specialized

9.5

A European herb with leaves that smell like garlic

is the common description using an alternative scientific name

jack-by-the-hedge

vshedge garlic

9.9

A wild plant with leaves that smell like garlic and can be eaten

focuses on the plant itself rather than its typical habitats

Surface Forms

hedge garlic singular

hedge garlicks plural

Morphology

hedge + garlic

The compound 'hedge garlic' straightforwardly combines 'hedge' (a row of shrubs) and 'garlic' (a garlic-like plant), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a garlic-like plant associated with hedges or found near hedges. This noun–noun composition follows common compounding patterns and the meaning (a plant whose leaves smell like garlic and that grows by hedges) is directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Hedge garlic is named for where it grows and how it smells: the plant often grows by hedges and its crushed leaves smell like garlic, so people put together hedge and garlic. The plant is also called 'garlic mustard', and this explains why the name means a herb with a garlic scent that grows near hedges.