woody nightshade
- noun
:
belladona
- The bright red berries of woody nightshade are attractive but highly toxic if ingested.
Examples
-
Gardeners are advised to remove woody nightshade from areas where children play.
-
We found woody nightshade growing along the edge of the woods near the riverbank.
-
The woody nightshade can be found in many gardens.
-
Many people mistake woody nightshade for other plants.
-
The bright red berries of woody nightshade are attractive but highly toxic if ingested.
-
Gardeners are advised to remove woody nightshade from areas where children play.
-
We found woody nightshade growing along the edge of the woods near the riverbank.
Synonyms
1
7.4
A wild vine or climbing shrub often with poisonous berries
A poisonous climbing plant with purple flowers and bright red berries, also called bittersweet nightshade
A climbing plant with violet flowers and red berries that is poisonous
A poisonous climbing plant with purple flowers and red berries
A plant with violet flowers and bright red berries that is very poisonous if eaten
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is fully compositional: 'woody' qualifies the noun 'nightshade', so a learner who knows both words can infer it means a nightshade plant that is woody (i.e., a woody or climbing nightshade). Although specific botanical details (species, toxicity) may be unknown, the core meaning is directly derivable and follows common noun-modifier patterns in English.
Etymology
Woody nightshade comes from two simple images: the plant has hard, woody stems, which is the woody part, and nightshade was an old name for plants with dark berries that people saw as dangerous. So the name warns that this is a woody plant that is 'poisonous'.