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Glite Dictionary
toothed spurge

toothed spurge

9.9
A small weed with toothed leaves that grows every year in gardens and fields
  • noun
  • /tuːtɪd spɜrdʒ/
  • US
translation icon : euphorbia dentada
  • You can recognize toothed spurge by its distinctive toothed leaves and small green flowers.

Examples

  • The field was overrun by toothed spurge, making it hard for crops to grow.

  • Gardeners often remove toothed spurge to keep their lawns weed-free.

  • The toothed spurge is often found in gardens.

  • Many gardeners dislike the toothed spurge for its invasive nature.

  • Gardeners often remove toothed spurge to keep their lawns weed-free.

  • You can recognize toothed spurge by its distinctive toothed leaves and small green flowers.

  • The field was overrun by toothed spurge, making it hard for crops to grow.

Synonyms

Euphorbia dentata
vstoothed spurge
  • Specialized
9.9

A small weed that lives one year and has toothed leaves

refers to the same plant in plain common language

Surface Forms

toothed spurge singular
toothed spurges plural

Morphology

toothed + spurge

The noun is transparently compositional: 'toothed' describes the leaf margin and 'spurge' names the plant genus, so the meaning is simply a spurge with toothed leaves. This straightforward botanical compound follows normal English noun modification patterns and would be inferable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Toothed spurge comes from what the plant looks like: toothed refers to the little 'teeth' or jagged edges on the leaves, and spurge is the common name for a small, spreading 'weed'. So the name helps you picture and identify this plant.