clove pink
- noun
- /kloʊv pɪŋk/
- The clove pink blooms beautifully in the spring.
Examples
-
The garden was filled with the spicy fragrance of blooming clove pinks.
-
I bought a clove pink plant for my garden.
-
Horticulturists value the clove pink for its vibrant color and scent.
-
She cut a bouquet of clove pink for the table centerpiece.
-
Horticulturists value the clove pink for its vibrant color and clove-like scent.
-
She cut a bouquet of clove pink flowers for the table centerpiece.
-
The garden was filled with the sweet fragrance of blooming clove pinks.
Synonyms
A garden flower with a sweet smell and many pink, red, or white petals
A small fragrant garden flower with colorful petals
A garden plant with sweet smelling pink to red flowers called carnations
A small garden plant with bright, often sweet smelling flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is fully compositional: 'clove' functions as a modifier of 'pink' to indicate a Dianthus (pink) that has a clove-like scent. This follows ordinary noun–noun modification patterns (a type of pink described by a property) and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings.
Etymology
Clove pink gets its name from two simple images: the flowers smell like clove, and the petals have frilly, notched edges because the word pink once meant 'to make small cuts'. So the name points to a spicy-scented, frilly flower.