Scotch thistle
- noun
- /skɒtʃ ˈθɪsəl/
:
cardo escocés
- The Scotch thistle can grow up to three meters tall in ideal conditions.
Examples
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Gardeners often struggle to remove Scotch thistle because of its sharp spines and rapid spread.
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The national emblem of Scotland is the Scotch thistle, which appears on many traditional crests.
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The Scotch thistle is Scotland's national flower.
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Many gardeners dislike the Scotch thistle due to its spines.
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Gardeners often struggle to remove Scotch thistle because of its sharp spines and rapid spread.
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The Scotch thistle can grow up to three meters tall in ideal conditions.
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Many gardeners dislike the Scotch thistle due to its spines.
Synonyms
A tall prickly plant with pale purple flowers that lives for two years
A large spiky plant with white fuzzy leaves and pale purple flowers
A tall thistle plant with white hairs and pale purple flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'Scotch' (pertaining to Scotland) + 'thistle' (a spiny plant), so the meaning 'a thistle associated with Scotland' is directly derivable from the parts. The nationality + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English modification rules, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Scotch thistle puts together Scotch (from Scotland) and thistle (a spiky plant). One popular story says enemy soldiers stepped on a sleeping thistle and cried out, which warned the Scots, so the plant became a proud 'symbol' of Scotland and the name Scotch thistle reminds people of that story today.
