tuberous vetch

9.9

A European plant with small edible roots used for food and to flavor whiskey

noun

: vicia tuberosa

Some distillers in Scotland use tuberous vetch to impart a unique flavor to their whiskey.

Examples

The fields were dotted with tuberous vetch, prized for its edible roots.
Early farmers collected tuberous vetch as a nutritious supplement to their diets.
The tuberous vetch grows in many parts of Europe.
Have you ever tried tuberous vetch in your cooking?
Early farmers collected tuberous vetch as a nutritious supplement to their diets.
Some distillers in Scotland use tuberous vetch to impart a unique flavor to their whiskey.
The fields were dotted with tuberous vetch, prized for its edible roots.

Synonyms

Lathyrus tuberosus

vstuberous vetch

Specialized

9.9

A European plant in the pea family that has small edible tubers and people sometimes use to flavor whiskey

is the common name used instead of the scientific form

earth-nut pea

vstuberous vetch

9.9

A plant from Europe with small edible tubers that people eat and use to add flavor

is a different common name now used more widely in modern English

vetchling

vstuberous vetch

9.9

A small climbing plant with thin stems and pea-like flowers

is one specific tuber-bearing species rather than many species

Surface Forms

tuberous vetch singular

tuberous vetches plural

Morphology

tuberous + vetch

The meaning is directly compositional: 'tuberous' describes having tubers and 'vetch' names a type of plant, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer this refers to a vetch that produces tubers. This adjective+noun pattern is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common formation, making the MWE transparently interpretable from its constituents.

Etymology

Tuberous vetch comes from the plant's tiny, potato-like roots. The word tuberous means 'having tubers' and vetch is the common name for the plant, so the name points to a vetch with edible roots that people used for food and to add flavor.