European dragon
- noun
- Literature
:
dragón europeo
- In medieval art, the European dragon is usually shown breathing fire and terrorizing villages.
Examples
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The European dragon differs from its Asian counterpart in both appearance and symbolism.
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Legends of the European dragon often describe it as hoarding treasure in deep caves.
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The European dragon is a symbol of power in many cultures.
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Many stories feature a European dragon guarding treasure.
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In medieval art, the European dragon is usually shown breathing fire and terrorizing villages.
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Legends of the European dragon often describe it as hoarding treasure in deep caves.
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Many stories feature a European dragon guarding treasure.
Synonyms
474
2.0
A large imaginary animal like a giant lizard with wings that often breathes fire
A large dragon from legends that breathes fire and often guards treasure
A female imaginary creature with wings that breathes fire
A dragon with two legs, wings, and a long snake-like tail that breathes fire
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'European' specifies the cultural/geographical type of 'dragon', so a learner who knows both words can infer a dragon from European folklore. This modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and not idiomatic, making the phrase immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
European dragon comes from old European tales about a huge, winged dragon that breathes fire, lives in deep caves, and guards treasure. So today European dragon means a large, dangerous 'imaginary creature' often shown breathing fire in stories and art.