mountain avens
- noun
- /ˈmaʊntən ˈævənz/
- UK
:
avena de montaña
- In Alaska, the mountain avens thrives in harsh, rocky soils above the tree line.
Examples
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The delicate flowers of the mountain avens are a common sight during the brief Arctic summer.
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The mountain avens bloom beautifully in the spring.
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Hikers often stop to admire the mountain avens blooming along alpine trails.
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Have you ever seen a mountain avens in the wild?
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Hikers often stop to admire the mountain avens blooming along alpine trails.
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In Alaska, the mountain avens thrives in harsh, rocky soils above the tree line.
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The delicate flowers of the mountain avens are a common sight during the brief Arctic summer.
Synonyms
A low spreading evergreen shrub with large white flowers that grows in cold mountains and Arctic areas
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'mountain' specifies the habitat or type of the head noun 'avens' (a plant), so the phrase denotes the avens that grow in mountainous areas. This noun+noun modifier pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Mountain avens gives a simple picture: mountain shows where it grows and avens is an old word for small flowering plants. So the name helps you remember this low, evergreen 'shrub' with white flowers that lives on high, rocky slopes.
