Chinese holly
- noun
:
acebo chino
- Many landscapers plant Chinese holly for its dense foliage and attractive shape.
Examples
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Because of its spiny leaves, Chinese holly provides excellent cover for small birds.
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The Chinese holly in her garden remains green throughout the winter.
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The Chinese holly adds beauty to any garden.
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I planted a Chinese holly in my backyard.
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Many landscapers plant Chinese holly for its dense foliage and attractive shape.
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Because of its spiny leaves, Chinese holly provides excellent cover for small birds.
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The Chinese holly in her garden remains green throughout the winter.
Synonyms
An evergreen shrub from China with spiny leaves and red berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'Chinese' (from China) + 'holly' (an evergreen plant) yields a holly associated with China. The meaning (a holly species/or specimen from China) is directly derivable from the parts and follows common cross-linguistic patterns for national/regional modifiers, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.
Etymology
Chinese holly comes from two simple parts: Chinese (from China) and holly (a spiny, evergreen plant). Imagine a round, green bush with sharp leaves from China, so the name means 'a dense shrub with spiny leaves that stays green all year'.
