trumpet weed
- noun
- /ˈtrʌmpɪt wiːd/
- US
:
hierba trompeta
- The trumpet weed blooms beautifully in the summer.
Examples
-
Clusters of purple-spotted flowers make trumpet weed easy to identify in the wild.
-
The field was dotted with patches of trumpet weed swaying in the summer breeze.
-
Gardeners often remove trumpet weed to prevent it from overtaking other plants.
-
Many gardeners appreciate the trumpet weed for its vibrant colors.
-
The garden was filled with vibrant trumpet weeds that attracted many butterflies.
-
Bees buzzed around the clusters of violet flowers on the trumpet weed plants.
-
We identified the trumpet weed by its distinctive whorled leaves and purple-spotted blooms.
Synonyms
A tall North American wild plant with clusters of purple flowers that attract butterflies
A North American flowering herb with leaves in rings and small purple spotted flowers
A tall North American plant with leaves around the stem and clusters of purple-pink flowers
A tall North American plant with pink or purple flower clusters found in wet places
Surface Forms
Morphology
trumpet + weed
The compound is clearly compositional: 'weed' denotes a wild plant and 'trumpet' evokes a trumpet-shaped form (the flowers), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is a plant with trumpet-like flowers. This kind of shape-based compound noun is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent noun + noun naming patterns.
Etymology
Trumpet weed gets its name from the plant's flowers, which look like small, trumpet-shaped tubes like tiny trumpets, and because it often grows freely like a weed. So the name helps you remember it is a 'wild plant' with trumpet-like flowers.
