leatherleaf wood fern

9.4

A North American fern with evergreen, leathery leaves that grows in woods

noun

: helecho manto de cuero

The leatherleaf wood fern thrives in shady woodland environments throughout North America.

Examples

Hikers easily recognize the leatherleaf wood fern by the leathery texture of its leaves.
Gardeners value the leatherleaf wood fern for its attractive, evergreen fronds.
The leatherleaf wood fern thrives in shaded areas.
Many leatherleaf wood ferns grow in the forest.
Gardeners value the leatherleaf wood fern for its attractive, evergreen fronds.
Hikers easily recognize the leatherleaf wood fern by the leathery texture of its leaves.
The leatherleaf wood fern thrives in shady woodland environments throughout North America.

Synonyms

leatherleaf

vsleatherleaf wood fern

9.9

A fern with thick tough leaves and divided fronds that grows in western North American forests

is a broader North American woodland fern with evergreen fronds

Surface Forms

leatherleaf wood fern singular

leatherleaf wood ferns plural

Morphology

leatherleaf + wood + fern

The noun is a straightforward descriptive compound: 'leatherleaf' (a fern with leathery fronds) + 'wood' (woodland) + 'fern' (a spore-bearing plant). A B1 learner who knows these constituents can readily infer it names a type of fern, typically with leathery leaves and associated with woods, so the meaning is directly compositional and transparent.

Etymology

Leatherleaf wood fern gets its name from a simple picture: it has tough, leather-like leaves called leatherleaf, and it grows in the wood as a fern. So the name tells you it is an 'evergreen' fern with sturdy, leather-like leaves that lives in woodlands.