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Glite Dictionary
rattlesnake master

rattlesnake master

9.9
A tall, prickly plant with round flowers that people once used to treat snakebites
  • noun
  • /ˈrætəlˌseɪk ˈmæstər/
  • US
translation icon : maestro cascabel
  • The rattlesnake master grows in dry, sandy soils.

Examples

  • The prairie was dotted with tall, spiky rattlesnake master plants.

  • Many herbalists use rattlesnake master for its medicinal properties.

  • He collected rattlesnake master to display its unusual spherical flowers in his garden.

  • Native Americans once used rattlesnake master as a folk remedy for snakebites.

  • The rattlesnake master is often used in traditional medicine to treat rattlesnake bites.

  • Gardeners appreciate the rattlesnake master for its striking appearance and its resistance to drought.

  • In summer, the rattlesnake master blooms with round blue flowers that attract pollinators.

Synonyms

Eryngium yuccifolium
vsrattlesnake master
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall, prickly prairie plant once used in folk medicine for snake bites

is the common traditional name rather than the scientific term
rattlesnake's master
vsrattlesnake master
  • US
9.9

A tall prickly plant with spiky leaves and round flower heads once thought to cure rattlesnake bites

is the standard nonpossessive traditional name instead of the variant form
button snakeroot
vsrattlesnake master
  • US
9.9

A coarse prickly plant from the United States that lives for many years and has round flower heads

is the traditional name focused on belief in curing bites rather than remedies

Surface Forms

rattlesnake master singular
rattlesnake masters plural

Morphology

rattlesnake + master

The parts 'rattlesnake' and 'master' signal a relation to rattlesnakes, but the compound names a specific plant species historically believed to cure rattlesnake bites — a meaning not directly deducible from the literal constituents. A B1 learner might guess a connection to rattlesnakes (or even think of a person who is a 'master' of rattlesnakes) but would not reliably infer that it denotes a coarse perennial plant or a remedy, so the relation is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Rattlesnake master gets its name from a folk belief that the plant could 'cure' rattlesnake bites. People called it a rattlesnake master because they saw it as a 'master' that could help against snakebites.