humble plant
- noun
- /ˈhʌm.bəl plænt/
- UK
:
planta sensible
- The humble plant immediately folded its leaves when the child touched it.
Examples
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Gardeners enjoy showing visitors how quickly the humble plant reacts to gentle contact.
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In some regions, the humble plant is grown for its intriguing movements and thorny stems.
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The humble plant is known for its unique reaction to touch.
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Have you seen a humble plant before?
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Gardeners enjoy showing visitors how quickly the humble plant reacts to gentle contact.
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The humble plant immediately folded its leaves when the child touched it.
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In some regions, the humble plant is grown for its intriguing movements and thorny stems.
Synonyms
A small tropical plant with leaves that quickly fold and droop when touched or at night
A plant whose leaves fold when touched or at night
A tropical plant whose leaves fold when touched or at night
A plant with leaves that fold together when you touch them
A small bush from the tropics whose leaves fold when touched and that has sharp thorns
A tropical plant whose small leaves fold quickly when touched or at night
A prickly bush from tropical America whose leaves fold when touched or in bright light
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'humble plant' is partly interpretable from its parts: a B1 learner who knows 'humble' and 'plant' can infer a modest or unremarkable plant, so there is a visible metaphoric link. However the full lexicalized meaning — the specific species (Mimosa pudica) and its touch-sensitive folding behavior — is not predictable from the constituents alone, so prior exposure is needed for the precise sense.
Etymology
Humble plant is a small tropical plant whose grey-green leaves fold and droop quickly when you touch them, as if the plant were hiding. That's why people call it 'humble' and why the name points to the plant's 'shy' reaction to touch.
