water nymph
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər nɪmf/
- Specialized
:
najas
- Freshwater aquariums often feature water nymph as an attractive background plant.
Examples
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The pond was filled with water nymph plants waving gently in the current.
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Biologists studied the spread of the water nymph in brackish coastal marshes.
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The water nymph thrives in shallow ponds.
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Many water nymphs can be found in the lake.
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Biologists studied the spread of the water nymph in brackish coastal marshes.
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Freshwater aquariums often feature water nymph as an attractive background plant.
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The pond was filled with water nymph plants waving gently in the current.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A water plant with thin leaves and small flowers that grows under the water
A group of similar water plants that grow in lakes and ponds
A water plant that grows in slow streams and shallow lakes and gives food and shelter to fish
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'water' and 'nymph' would most likely infer a mythological water spirit or the immature insect sense rather than an aquatic plant; the botanical sense (a Najas species) is specialized and not derivable from the literal constituents. Because the plant meaning reflects a conventionalized, domain-specific naming rather than compositional semantics, it is unpredictable for learners and thus opaque.
Etymology
Water nymph as a plant name likely comes from the plant's thin, flowing leaves that move like a little person in the water. So the plant is called 'an aquatic plant with narrow leaves that grows in fresh or slightly salty water'.