reed mace
- noun
- /rid meɪs/
- UK
:
juncos
- The long leaves of reed mace are often woven into traditional mats and chair seats.
Examples
-
Each summer, the brown seed heads of reed mace become covered with fluffy down.
-
In the wetlands, reed mace grows abundantly along the banks.
-
The reed mace grows near the river.
-
Have you seen the reed maces in the wetlands?
-
In the wetlands, reed mace grows abundantly along the banks, providing habitat for various wildlife.
-
The long leaves of reed mace are often woven into traditional mats and chair seats, showcasing their utility.
-
Each summer, the brown seed heads of reed mace become covered with fluffy down, creating a beautiful landscape in the marsh.
Synonyms
11
8.5
A tall marsh plant with a brown sausage-shaped seed head and long flat leaves used for making mats and seats
A tall marsh plant with long flat leaves and a brown seed head that releases fluffy down
A tall marsh plant with long brown seed heads and flat leaves used for weaving
A tall plant that grows in wet places with round seed heads that burst and long leaves used for weaving
A tall plant that grows in wet places with long leaves and brown seed heads used to make mats
Surface Forms
Morphology
reed + mace
Although 'reed' is transparent, the element 'mace' is not a common, compositional word for a plant in learners' mental lexicons (and here functions as a lexicalized regional name for the species). The compound is a fixed plant name (lexicalized/cultural) rather than a predictable descriptive combination, so a B1 learner knowing the parts would not reliably infer 'a tall marsh plant'.
Etymology
Reed mace may come from a simple picture: the reed is a tall marsh plant and its long, brown, stick-like seed head looks like a small mace, a 'club' once used as a weapon. That's why the name refers to the tall marsh plant with a long, round seed head.