yellow pimpernel

9.8

A low trailing evergreen plant with small yellow flowers that grows in damp woods

noun

: pimprenel amarillo

The yellow pimpernel thrives in the shaded, damp woodlands of Europe.

Examples

She collected a specimen of yellow pimpernel during her botany field trip.
I spotted a yellow pimpernel in the forest yesterday.
In spring, clusters of small yellow pimpernel flowers brighten the forest floor.
The yellow pimpernel blooms beautifully in the spring.
In spring, clusters of small yellow pimpernel flowers brighten the forest floor.
The yellow pimpernel thrives in the shaded, damp woodlands of Europe.
She collected a specimen of yellow pimpernel during her botany field trip.

Synonyms

Lysimachia nemorum

vsyellow pimpernel

Specialized

9.9

A low trailing plant that keeps its leaves all year and has yellow flowers

is the common everyday name for the same plant

Surface Forms

yellow pimpernel singular

yellow pimpernels plural

Morphology

yellow + pimpernel

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'yellow' specifies the color of the plant denoted by 'pimpernel', so the meaning (a pimpernel with yellow flowers) is directly derivable from the constituents. This modifier-noun pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the referent.

Etymology

The plant name yellow pimpernel may come from an old word pimpernel that meant a 'small wild herb', and the first word yellow simply shows its bright yellow flowers near the ground. So the name helps you remember it as a low-growing plant with yellow blooms.