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Glite Dictionary
prickly-edged leaf

prickly-edged leaf

7.1
A leaf with sharp points along its edge that can scratch
  • noun
translation icon : hoja con bordes espinosos
  • The holly bush is known for its characteristic prickly-edged leaves, which deter many herbivores.

Examples

  • Care should be taken when handling a prickly-edged leaf to avoid getting scratched.

  • We studied the adaptation of the prickly-edged leaf in arid environments during biology class.

  • The prickly-edged leaf can be quite dangerous.

  • Many plants have a prickly-edged leaf for protection.

  • The rose plant has beautiful flowers but also boasts prickly-edged leaves to keep pests away.

  • A prickly-edged leaf from the berry bush caught my skin as I reached in to pick some fruit.

  • Children are often warned to be cautious around prickly-edged leaves, as they can cause scratches.

Synonyms

spiny-edged
vsprickly-edged leaf
7.4

Having a border covered in small sharp points

is used only for plant parts rather than any object

Antonyms

smooth
256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

How Prickly

prickly-edged leaf
7.1
dentate leaf
  • Specialized
7.9
entire leaf
  • Specialized
6.7

Surface Forms

prickly-edged leaf singular
prickly-edged leaves plural

Morphology

prickly-edged + leaf

The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'prickly-edged' simply describes the leaf's edges as prickly (from 'prickly' + 'edged'), so a learner who knows 'prickly' and 'edge/edged' can infer a leaf with sharp or spiny margins. This follows a regular adjective+noun pattern and is cross-linguistically transparent, making the meaning predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase prickly-edged leaf gives a simple picture: the leaf has a prickly edge with small sharp points that can 'prick' you. That's why it means 'a leaf with sharp or spiny margins'.