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Glite Dictionary
spring squill

spring squill

9.9
A small plant by the sea with blue or purple flowers in spring
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : escila primaveral
  • The cliffs were covered with blooming spring squill in early May.

Examples

  • She picked a bouquet of spring squill during her walk along the shore.

  • The spring squill blooms in early spring.

  • Botanists documented the presence of spring squill in the coastal grasslands.

  • Look at that spring squill!

  • The cliffs were covered with blooming spring squill in early May.

  • Botanists documented the presence of spring squill in the coastal grasslands.

  • She picked a bouquet of spring squill during her walk along the shore.

Synonyms

squill
vsspring squill
1 9.9

A plant that grows from a bulb with narrow leaves and long stems of white, blue or pink flowers

is the specific coastal species with small blue or purple flowers
Scilla verna
vsspring squill
  • Specialized
9.9

A small European plant with narrow leaves and blue star shaped flowers that blooms in early spring

is the common name used for the same plant in everyday speech

Surface Forms

spring squill singular
spring squills plural

Morphology

spring + squill

The compound is a straightforward noun modifier: 'spring' specifies the season associated with the 'squill' (a bulbous plant), so the meaning 'a squill that blooms/appears in spring' is directly inferable from the parts. This compositional pattern (season + plant) is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

Spring squill likely comes from the words spring and squill: spring because the small blue flowers appear early in the year, and squill was an old name for little bulb plants like scilla. So, the name reminds you it is a small coastal bulb that 'flowers' in spring.