hop clover
- noun
:
trébol de lúpulo
- He knelt down to examine the tiny yellow flowers of the hop clover.
Examples
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The hop clover grows low to the ground, making it an excellent choice for ground cover in landscapes.
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The field was dotted with hop clover and wildflowers.
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Gardeners often plant hop clover as a ground cover to enrich the soil.
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The garden was filled with hop clover.
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Do you know what hop clover looks like?
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Many people enjoy seeing hop clover blooming in their gardens during spring.
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In the meadow, clusters of hop clover add a bright splash of yellow among the greenery.
Synonyms
A low-growing plant from Europe with small yellow flowers often found in lawns
A low plant with small yellow flowers and curved black seed pods
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun–noun compound where 'clover' identifies the plant category and 'hop' modifies it, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a type or variety of clover. The composition follows common naming patterns for plants (modifier + head) and is therefore predictable to a B1 learner, even if they may not know the exact botanical details.
Etymology
Hop clover may come from its tiny, rounded flower heads that look like the hops used to make beer. Because people saw little 'hop' clusters on a clover, the words hop and clover were put together to name this low-growing plant with small yellow flowers.
