plant substance
- noun
:
sustancia vegetal
- The doctor recommended a plant substance that can help alleviate digestive issues.
Examples
-
This supplement contains a plant substance known for its antioxidant properties.
-
We have known for many years that certain plant substances can induce these states of mind, and recent ethnobotanical research has corroborated that these substances do elicit near-death states and transformational processes in the partakers of these substances.
Academic text (1994) -
Many cosmetics incorporate natural plant substances to enhance their effectiveness.
Synonyms
335
2.8
A physical material that objects are made of
44
3.5
A liquid made by soaking a plant or food to get flavor
3
6.7
A medicine made from plant parts like roots or leaves
3
3.0
Parts of trees and other green growing things like leaves, stems or roots
1
3.4
Parts inside a plant made of cells with different jobs
1
3.0
Something made from plants used for food, cloth, or medicine
1
7.5
A chemical in plants that can affect health
Long thin parts of plants used to make cloth, rope and to help the body use food when eaten
How Processed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a material derived from plants' is directly and compositionally derived from 'plant' (a photosynthetic organism) + 'substance' (material), following a transparent noun–noun compounding pattern. This is a common, cross-linguistic way to form material-type terms, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Plant substance links plant, meaning a living part like a leaf or root, with substance, meaning a 'material', so the phrase creates a clear picture of a material taken from a plant. So, it means 'a material that comes from plants', like parts or extracts used in medicine or cleaning products.