mountain devil
- noun
- Australian
:
demonio de montaña
- The mountain devil attracts a wide variety of birds with its bright red flowers.
Examples
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During our hike, we spotted several mountain devils growing along the rocky slopes.
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The mountain devil blooms beautifully in spring.
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Locals often admire the unique shape and color of the mountain devil in full bloom.
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Have you ever seen a mountain devil in the wild?
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While walking through the bush, we encountered a vibrant cluster of mountain devils adorned with stunning red flowers.
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The mountain devil is well-known among gardeners for its striking appearance and ability to attract hummingbirds.
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In springtime, the mountain devil bursts into bloom, filling the landscape with its red blossoms.
Synonyms
A bush from eastern Australia with clusters of red flowers that have nectar
A small Australian plant with flowers that make a lot of sweet nectar for bees
Surface Forms
Morphology
mountain + devil
Although the compound follows a regular noun+noun pattern, knowing 'mountain' and 'devil' does not lead a B1 learner to the specific meaning 'a small Australian spiny lizard'; 'devil' in English animal names (e.g. Tasmanian devil) does not indicate a reptile, and 'mountain' is misleading for a desert species. The referent and taxonomic information are therefore not derivable from the constituents, so learners would need prior exposure.
Etymology
Mountain devil one popular story says people used the words mountain and devil because the bush's bright red flowers grow on rocky hills. The odd shapes looked like a small 'devil', so the name stuck for this shrub.
