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wild crocus

wild crocus

8.0
A small wild plant with purple flowers in early spring
  • noun
  • /waɪld ˈkroʊkəs/
  • UK
translation icon : crocus silvestre
  • In early spring, clusters of wild crocus appear on the hillsides, adding color to the melting snow.

Examples

  • The wild crocus is a hardy plant that thrives in the prairies of North America.

  • Photographers travel each year to Siberia to capture the beauty of the blooming wild crocus.

  • Look at that stunning wild crocus blooming near the trail!

  • The wild crocus blooms in early spring.

  • In early spring, clusters of wild crocus appear on the hillsides, adding color to the melting snow.

  • Photographers travel each year to Siberia to capture the beauty of the blooming wild crocus.

  • The wild crocus is a hardy plant that thrives in the prairies of North America.

Synonyms

Anemone ludoviciana
vswild crocus
  • Specialized
9.9

A short hairy plant from North America and Siberia with blue-violet spring flowers

is the common everyday name rather than the formal Latin name
Pulsatilla patens
vswild crocus
  • Specialized
9.9

A short hairy plant that comes back each year with blue-violet spring flowers

is the common everyday name rather than the formal Latin name
American pulsatilla
vswild crocus
  • US
9.5

A short, hairy plant from North America that lives more than one year and has blue-violet spring flowers

is the common everyday name rather than the regional scientific form
American pasqueflower
vswild crocus
  • US
9.8

A short hairy plant with blue-violet or lilac flowers in early spring

is the general everyday name used more widely
Eastern pasque flower
vswild crocus
  • US
9.5

A short, hairy plant that comes back every year and has blue-violet or lilac flowers in early spring

is the general everyday name used more widely
prairie anemone
vswild crocus
  • US
9.3

A short hairy plant with blue-violet or lilac flowers that blooms in early spring

is the general everyday name used more widely
lion's beard
vswild crocus
  • US
9.9

A short hairy plant with blue-violet or lilac flowers in early spring

is the ordinary name used in general speech
blue tulip
vswild crocus
  • US
7.7

A small plant with blue-violet or lilac flowers that blooms in early spring

is the ordinary name used in general speech

Surface Forms

wild crocus singular
wild crocuses plural

Morphology

wild + Crocus

The meaning 'a crocus growing in the wild/not cultivated' is directly and compositionally derived from 'wild' (living naturally) + 'crocus' (a flowering plant). This straightforward adjective + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Wild crocus gets its name from the simple picture of a little crocus flower growing by itself in fields or on hills; wild means 'not planted' and these flowers often push up through the melting snow in 'early spring', so the name describes a small, hardy plant that grows naturally.