Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
wind poppy

wind poppy

1 8.8
A wildflower with thin stems and bright red cup-shaped flowers that grows in California
  • noun
  • US
: pavón de viento
  • The hills were dotted with vibrant wind poppies after the spring rains.

Examples

  • Hikers stopped to photograph a cluster of wind poppy blossoms along the trail.

  • The wind poppy blooms in early spring.

  • Because the wind poppy is so delicate, it sways easily in the slightest breeze.

  • We saw many wind poppies on our hike.

  • Hikers stopped to photograph a cluster of wind poppy blossoms along the trail.

  • The hills were dotted with vibrant wind poppies after the spring rains.

  • The wind poppy blooms in early spring.

Synonyms

Stylomecon
vswind poppy
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of related plants that includes the wind poppy

is the specific wildflower species rather than the wider plant genus
Papaver heterophyllum
vswind poppy
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild poppy that grows in California with bright red flowers

is the common name for that species rather than the formal species name
Stylomecon heterophyllum
vswind poppy
  • Specialized
9.9

A wild poppy with bright red flowers that grows in California

is the common name for that species rather than the formal species name

Surface Forms

wind poppy singular
wind poppies plural

Morphology

wind + poppy

The noun–noun compound 'wind poppy' is directly interpretable as a type of poppy associated with wind; a B1 learner who knows 'wind' and 'poppy' can reasonably infer it names a kind of flowering plant (a poppy) related to windy conditions or with stems that sway. This follows a common, compositional English pattern for naming plant varieties, so the meaning is transparently derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Wind poppy may come from the way this bright, cup-shaped flower sways on thin stems in even a small breeze. That's why the words wind and poppy help you picture this delicate 'wildflower'.