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Glite Dictionary
common caper

common caper

7.3
A spiny bush from the Mediterranean grown for its pickled flower buds
  • noun
translation icon : alcaparra
  • The common caper is often used in Mediterranean cuisine for its tangy pickled buds.

Examples

  • The prickly stems of the common caper spread along dry, rocky hillsides.

  • The chef used common capers in the sauce.

  • Farmers in southern Italy cultivate common caper bushes to harvest capers each spring.

  • I love adding common capers to my pasta dishes.

  • Farmers in southern Italy cultivate common caper bushes to harvest capers each spring.

  • The common caper is often used in Mediterranean cuisine for its tangy pickled buds.

  • I love adding common caper buds to my salads for extra flavor.

Synonyms

caper
vscommon caper
15 6.7

A small pickled flower bud people add to food for a sharp taste

refers specifically to the shrub rather than the pickled buds used as food
Capparis spinosa
vscommon caper
  • Specialized
9.8

A low spiny bush that grows in the Mediterranean and has flower buds pickled as capers

is more sprawling, spreading widely rather than growing low

Surface Forms

common caper singular
common capers plural

Morphology

common + caper

The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'common' (typical) modifies 'caper' (the edible flower bud/plant), so the meaning refers to the usual/typical caper plant or buds. This is literal, compositional, and follows normal English noun phrase patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun common caper names a spiny shrub that makes tiny flower buds called 'capers' which people pick and pickle to add a sharp, salty taste to food; imagine little green buttons on a prickly bush. That's why common caper means the plant grown for edible buds.