mouse ear
- noun
- /maʊs ɪr/
:
no me olvides
- She chose to plant mouse ear because it stays low and blooms reliably every spring.
Examples
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Clusters of mouse ear flowers added a delicate blue to the garden border.
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The botanist pointed out a rare species of mouse ear growing by the stream.
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The mouse ear plant thrives in damp soil.
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I found some lovely mouse ears in my garden.
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Clusters of mouse ear flowers added a delicate blue to the garden border.
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She chose to plant mouse ear because it reliably blooms bright blue flowers every spring.
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The botanist identified a rare variety of mouse ear with vibrant white flowers near the creek.
Synonyms
2
4.7
A small plant with bright blue or white flowers that comes back every year
A small plant with bright blue or white flowers that grows near water
A small plant with white flowers that grows on cold mountains and in the Arctic
A small plant with white flowers and soft hairy leaves like a mouse ear
A low wild plant with tiny white flowers and soft hairy leaves
A low plant with soft hairy leaves and small yellow flowers like a dandelion
Surface Forms
Morphology
mouse + ear
The compound is motivated by a resemblance (something small and ear-shaped) so knowing 'mouse' and 'ear' lets a learner infer a small, ear-like object; however the specific referent being a particular small perennial plant is conventional knowledge not strictly derivable from the parts. Because shape/size is predictable from the constituents but the ontological category (a plant species) and conventional botanical sense require prior exposure, this is best classified as partially transparent.
Etymology
Mouse ear likely comes from the same image: small soft leaves that remind people of a mouse's ear, often on little herbs with blue or white blooms. So the name now refers to 'a small perennial herb with bright blue or white flowers'.