water lettuce
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər ˈlɛtɪs/
:
lechuga de agua
- A thick mat of water lettuce was choking the pond's surface.
- water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
- water lettuce (stratiotes)
Examples
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The rapid spread of water lettuce poses a threat to native aquatic species.
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Gardeners often remove water lettuce to prevent it from overtaking decorative ponds.
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Look at the water lettuce!
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I saw some water lettuce floating in the pond.
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The water in the lake is covered with green water lettuce, creating a beautiful floating carpet of plants.
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As we paddled through the marsh, we noticed clusters of water lettuce drifting gently on the surface.
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The aquarium store sells water lettuce as a popular choice for adding greenery to indoor ponds.
Synonyms
A floating water plant with round leaves like lettuce that often forms thick mats
A floating plant like a small green lettuce that covers the surface of water
A floating water plant with soft triangular leaves that often forms thick mats
A floating water plant with soft leaves like a small lettuce
How Small
- Specialized
4
8.2
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.3
1
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'water lettuce' is a productive noun+noun construction where 'water' modifies 'lettuce', so a learner who knows both words can infer an aquatic, lettuce-like plant. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and makes the general meaning (a lettuce that lives on water) immediately accessible, even if the specific botanical species name is unfamiliar.
Etymology
Water lettuce comes from a simple image: its soft, round leaves form small heads that float like lettuce on water. That's why the name means 'a floating plant' you see in ponds and rivers.