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bittercress

bittercress

9.8
A small wild herb with peppery leaves and small white or pink flowers
  • noun
  • /ˈbɪtərˌkrɛs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : berro amargo
  • The gardener pointed out the bittercress, explaining how it is often confused with other wildflowers.
  • hairy bittercress

Examples

  • Some plants with very showy flowers grow in the northern part of the marsh, including two species of yellow groundsels, a white bittercress of the mustard family, the white prairie mallow, and golden glow, which in bloom resembles a sunflower.

    Academic text (1992)
  • If you notice small clusters of white flowers with pinnate leaves, you may have found bittercress in your garden.

  • During our hike, we spotted bittercress growing near the stream, its delicate flowers swaying in the breeze.

Synonyms

bitter cress
vsbittercress
7.9

A small wild plant with divided leaves and tiny white, pink or purple flowers often in lawns

is the single-word form of the same name
Cardamine
vsbittercress
  • Specialized
9.6

A small wild plant with white or pink flowers that often grows in wet soil

refers to individual herb species rather than the taxonomic group

Compounds

A small European plant like cress with knotted white roots that grows in damp places

Surface Forms

bittercress singular
bittercresses plural

Morphology

bittercress = bitter + cress (transparent) = bitter + cress

The compound denotes a cress that is bitter in taste; the meaning is a direct, literal combination of its parts.

Etymology

The word bittercress combines bitter ('sharp' or 'bitter' in taste) and cress ('small leafy plant' like garden cress or watercress), so it names a small herb with a peppery, bitter flavor often found in gardens and the wild.