swallow wort
- noun
- UK
:
hierba de la golondrina
- The hillside was covered in swallow wort blooming under the summer sun.
Examples
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Some gardeners consider swallow wort to be an invasive species in their flowerbeds.
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The swallow wort blooms in late spring.
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Botanists often study swallow wort for its unique adaptations to dry climates.
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Many gardeners appreciate the beauty of swallow worts.
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The hillside was covered in swallow wort blooming under the summer sun.
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Botanists often study swallow wort for its unique adaptations to dry climates.
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Some gardeners consider swallow wort to be an invasive species in their flowerbeds.
Synonyms
A plant that lives for several years with woody stems and bright yellow flowers often in shady places
A plant that lives for many years and has bright yellow flowers called greater celandine
A plant with bright yellow flowers and woody stems that grows in Europe and western Asia
A perennial plant with many woody branches and bright yellow flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is transparently compositional: 'wort' denotes a plant/herb and 'swallow' specifies which kind, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a plant associated with or named after swallows. Although the precise botanical details (perennial habit, flower colour, habitat) are not predictable from the parts, the basic meaning 'a kind of plant/herb' follows standard English noun+noun naming patterns.
Etymology
Swallow wort comes from the two words swallow and wort. One popular story says people often saw the small bird swallow near this low herb, and wort is an old word for 'plant', so the name means 'swallow plant' and helps you remember it is a wild herb with bright yellow flowers that grows on dry hills.
