cross vine
- noun
- /krɔs vaɪn/
- Specialized
:
vid de cruz
- If you look closely at the cross vine, you'll notice how its stems form a distinctive cross pattern when cut.
Examples
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The cross vine can be seen winding its way up the old oak tree, displaying its unique cross-shaped stems.
-
In addition, cross vine, a typically southern species, crawls up the trunks of several of these trees.
Academic text (1998) -
Gardeners love the cross vine for its beautiful flowers and ability to thrive in warm climates.
Synonyms
A woody climbing plant with stems shaped like a cross when cut
A woody vine from the southern United States with bright flowers and a cross-shaped stem when cut
A woody climbing plant often grown in gardens for its bright trumpet-shaped orange flowers
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward modifier+noun compound: 'cross' (cross-shaped/transverse) describes the type of 'vine', so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a vine with a cross-like feature (e.g., cross-shaped stems). This compositional pattern is common and thus immediately comprehensible even if fine botanical details remain unknown.
Etymology
Cross vine comes from a simple image: when you cut the stem of this climbing plant it shows a cross-shaped pattern, so people named the vine for that visible 'cross'. That's why cross vine refers to this particular flowering plant.
