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undergrowth

undergrowth

7 3.9
Low plants and bushes that grow under tall trees in a forest
  • noun
  • /ˈʌndərˌɡroʊθ/
translation icon : bajo crecimiento
  • The hikers had to push through the thick undergrowth to find the trail.
  • dense undergrowth
  • thick undergrowth
  • forest undergrowth

In ancient times, herbalists would gather medicinal plants from dense undergrowth and bushes.

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Examples

  • And it couldn't have blown into the undergrowth beneath the trees because there was very little wind.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Progress was slow, the undergrowth dense between the huge trunks of the primary trees.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • We can start cutting back all the undergrowth here.

  • Then I found a job destroying small trees and undergrowth at a military communications base.

    Academic text (2009)
  • If there was undergrowth by the water, you must have been close to the fens.

  • And finally, deep in the undergrowth, I spot something extraordinary: an undiscovered species of bear.

  • While that meant no more slogging through mud, the undergrowth grew denser here.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The slopes are denser with undergrowth now, and the going isn't so easy.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A dense forest with its southern yellow pines and thriving undergrowth of seasonal wiregrass covered much of the area.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Maple saplings have grown tall, and in summer the dense undergrowth obscures the downed trees that remain.

    Academic text (2010)

Synonyms

brush
vsundergrowth
  • US
61 2.2

A thick group of small trees and bushes

is specifically found beneath taller trees rather than anywhere else
underwood
vsundergrowth
31 8.0

Low bushes and small trees that grow under taller trees in a forest

is denser and focuses on thick shrub growth beneath taller trees
thicket
vsundergrowth
22 5.1

A thick area of bushes and small trees that grow close together

is used when such growth appears beneath taller trees in woods
underbrush
vsundergrowth
11 5.6

Small plants, bushes, and young trees that grow under tall trees in a forest

is denser, stressing thick shrub and small tree growth beneath taller trees
understory
vsundergrowth
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A layer of small trees and plants under taller trees

is denser and refers to packed shrubs and small trees below canopy
dense thicket
vsundergrowth
1 5.7

An area of thick bushes that is hard to walk through

is similar but applies specifically to dense growth beneath taller trees

How Dense

undergrowth
7 3.9
underbrush
11 5.6

Surface Forms

undergrowth singular
undergrowths plural

Morphology

undergrowth = growth (transparent) = under + growth

The meaning is directly derived from 'under' + 'growth' meaning vegetation growing beneath the taller trees, which is easily inferable. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Undergrowth is made of under 'below' and growth 'plants that grow', so you can picture small trees and bushes growing below the tall trees. So, undergrowth means the thick shrubs and plants that lie under the taller trees in a wood or forest.