moss pink

1 6.5

A low plant with pink or white flowers that spreads to cover the ground

noun
/mɔs pɪŋk/

: phlox rosa

The garden was filled with beautiful moss pink flowers.

Examples

We planted moss pink along the edge of the walkway for a splash of color.
The delicate flowers of the moss pink attract butterflies and bees.
The garden was carpeted with blooming moss pink in early spring.
I love the way moss pinks bloom in the spring.
In spring, the garden is transformed with patches of moss pink blooming alongside the walkways.
I love how moss pink carpets the ground, adding vibrant color to my landscape.
They planted moss pink in the flowerbed to create a lovely ground cover that thrives in sunny areas.

Synonyms

moss phlox

vsmoss pink

1 7.6

A low, spreading evergreen plant with small pink or white flowers used to cover the ground

is the alternative name emphasizing its spreading habit

Phlox subulata

vsmoss pink

Specialized

1 9.5

A low plant with thin evergreen leaves and pink or white flowers used as ground cover

is the common name used instead of the scientific form

mountain phlox

vsmoss pink

1 7.4

A low plant with thin, green leaves and pink or white flowers used as a ground cover

spreads broadly as a groundcover rather than only tufting

dwarf phlox

vsmoss pink

9.5

A low, spreading plant with thin needle leaves and pink or white flowers used to cover the ground

spreads low across soil rather than forming tight tufts

Surface Forms

moss pink singular

moss pinks plural

Morphology

moss + pink

The compound is compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'moss' (a low, mat-forming groundcover) and 'pink' (the color/flower color) can infer this refers to a moss-like low plant with pink flowers. The meaning is a straightforward descriptive combination (groundcover + color/flower), a pattern common across languages, so the sense is immediately derivable from the parts.

Etymology

The noun moss pink comes from how the plant looks. It grows like a low, moss-like carpet covered in pink flowers, so the words moss and pink describe its shape and colour and the name means 'a low spreading plant with pink or white flowers'.