cat's foot

9.7

A low plant with silvery leaves and small white flowers that forms a soft ground cover

noun

: pata de gato

The meadows were dotted with cat's foot blooming among the grasses.

Examples

Gardeners often plant cat's foot to add a soft ground cover.
I recognized the silvery foliage of cat's foot during my nature walk.
The garden is filled with cat's foot in early spring.
I found some cat's feet growing near the path.
Gardeners often plant cat's foot to add a soft ground cover.
The meadows were dotted with cat's foot blooming among the grasses.
I recognized the silvery foliage of cat's foot during my nature walk.

Synonyms

cat's feet

vscat's foot

9.9

A low plant with leaves covered in fine white hairs and small white flower clusters

is the singular form used for the same plant name

Antennaria dioica

vscat's foot

Specialized

9.9

A low plant with soft silvery leaves and small white flower clusters

is the plain botanical description without listing alternative names

pussytoes

vscat's foot

Specialized

9.9

A small low plant with soft hairy leaves and tiny white or pink flowers

focuses on white flowers and temperate growth rather than genus variety

Surface Forms

cat's foot singular

cat's feet plural

Morphology

cat's + foot

The phrase evokes a resemblance to a cat's foot, so a learner who knows 'cat' and 'foot' can infer a figurative or naming relation (something shaped or resembling a cat's foot). However, the specific botanical meaning — that it is a low-growing perennial herb with whitish down and small white flowers — is not predictable from the constituents alone. Because the form suggests a metaphorical basis but does not yield the precise referent, it is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Cat's foot may come from the plant's look: its soft, silvery leaves and small white flowers make low, round patches that look like a little cat foot. That's why the name now means 'a low-growing plant used as ground cover'.