white lupine
- noun
- /waɪt ˈluːpaɪn/
- Farmers often plant white lupine to help prevent soil erosion and enrich the land.
Examples
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The seeds of the white lupine are used as a high-protein animal feed in many parts of Europe.
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In the spring, fields of white lupine bloom with clusters of delicate, white flowers.
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The white lupine blooms beautifully in spring.
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Farmers often plant white lupines to improve soil quality.
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Farmers often plant white lupine to help prevent soil erosion and enrich the land.
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The seeds of the white lupine are used as a high-protein animal feed in many parts of Europe.
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In the spring, fields of white lupine bloom with clusters of delicate, white flowers.
Synonyms
A plant with white flowers grown to feed animals and stop soil from washing away
A plant with white flowers in the pea family that people grow for animal food and to stop soil erosion
A plant with white flowers grown to feed animals and stop soil erosion
A plant with white flowers grown for animal feed and to stop soil erosion
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a simple adjective + noun combination where 'white' specifies the color of the noun 'lupine'; the meaning 'a lupine plant with white flowers' is directly derivable from the constituents. This color + species pattern is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
White lupine combines white (its flower colour) and lupine, which one popular story says comes from an old word for 'wolf' because people thought the plant 'took' food from the soil. Today white lupine is a white-flowered plant farmers grow to stop erosion and to improve the land, so the name helps you remember both its colour and that old 'wolf' idea.