wild oats
1
9.9
- noun
- /waɪld oʊts/
- US
:
avena silvestre
- The forest floor was covered with wild oats blooming in the early spring.
Examples
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The wild oats bloom beautifully in the spring.
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While hiking, we spotted a patch of wild oats growing along the shaded path.
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Gardeners admire the delicate yellow flowers produced by wild oats.
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I saw some wild oats growing near the river.
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In spring, the field was filled with beautiful wild oats that danced gracefully in the wind.
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The gardener pointed out the wild oats growing among the more cultivated plants in her backyard.
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As I walked through the meadow, I admired the delicate wild oats swaying under the bright sun.
Synonyms
A small wild plant with yellow bell-shaped flowers that hang down
A small woodland plant with slender stems and yellow bell-shaped flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'wild' (untamed, growing naturally) + 'oat' (a grass), so the botanical meaning of oats growing in the wild is directly inferable from the constituents. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the listed plant sense.
Etymology
The noun wild oats comes from the plant's long, thin leaves and seed heads that look a little like the grain oats and because it grows in the wild. So the name now refers to that yellow, bell-shaped wildflower.