large periwinkle

8.0

A plant with large green and white leaves that grows along the ground in gardens

noun

: vinca mayor

She planted large periwinkle along the edge of her garden for its attractive variegated leaves.

Examples

The window boxes were filled with blooming large periwinkle and other colorful flowers.
Gardeners value large periwinkle for its hardy nature and decorative foliage.
The large periwinkle blooms beautifully in the spring.
We planted a large periwinkle in our garden last year.
Gardeners value large periwinkle for its hardy nature and decorative foliage.
She planted large periwinkle along the edge of her garden for its attractive variegated leaves.
The window boxes were filled with blooming large periwinkle and other colorful flowers.

Synonyms

Vinca major

vslarge periwinkle

Specialized

8.3

A trailing evergreen plant with shiny green and white leaves and blue or purple flowers

uses a common descriptive name instead of the botanical term

Surface Forms

large periwinkle singular

large periwinkles plural

Morphology

large + periwinkle

This is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'large' modifies 'periwinkle', so the meaning 'a bigger-than-usual periwinkle (plant)' is directly derivable from the parts. Adjective–noun composition of this kind is cross-linguistically common and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Large periwinkle simply means the bigger kind of the plant called periwinkle. The word periwinkle may come from an old name for a small 'sea snail' or from the pale 'blue' color of its flowers, and because the plant creeps along the ground with blue blooms, this picture helps you remember the meaning.