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wood anemone

wood anemone

8.0
A small wildflower with white or pale pink flowers that grows in woods
  • noun
  • /wʊd əˈnɛməni/
  • UK
translation icon : anémona de los bosques
  • The delicate white petals of the wood anemone open to the morning sun.

Examples

  • We spotted several wood anemones while hiking through the old woodland.

  • The wood anemone blooms in early spring.

  • In early spring, the forest floor is carpeted with wood anemone blooms.

  • I saw a beautiful wood anemone during my hike.

  • In spring, the wood anemone blooms, carpeting the forest floor with its delicate white flowers.

  • The wood anemone is often one of the first flowers to appear in the woodland during the early months of the year.

  • Walking through the woodland, we admired the wood anemone, which added beauty to the lush greenery.

Synonyms

windflower
vswood anemone
1 8.9

A small forest plant with pretty flowers and divided leaves

focuses on the wild woodland species rather than cultivated garden forms
Anemone nemorosa
vswood anemone
  • UK
9.4

A small European woodland plant with single white flowers that cover the ground in spring

includes that plant in both Europe and North America
Anemone quinquefolia
vswood anemone
  • Specialized
9.9

A small North American wildflower with a single white flower slightly pink, found in eastern woods

applies more widely covering both European and North American populations
snowdrop
vswood anemone
  • US
3.4

A wild white flower with one light pink-tinged bloom that grows in eastern North American woods

is used for the same flower across Europe as well as North America
anemone
vswood anemone
7.7

A woodland plant with showy flowers and divided leaves

is narrower meaning this specific small wildflower rather than all genus members

Surface Forms

wood anemone singular
wood anemones plural

Morphology

wood + anemone

The compound combines 'wood' (woodland) + 'anemone' (a type of woodland flowering plant), so its meaning — an anemone that grows in woods — is directly derivable from the parts. This habitat-based compounding pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the term immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Wood anemone combines wood (where it grows) and anemone, an old word meaning 'windflower' because the small white blooms often seem to move in a light breeze. So the name paints a simple picture—a little wildflower in the woods that opens and sways in the wind, which helps you remember the plant.