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Glite Dictionary
crown vetch

crown vetch

7.9
A plant with pink and white flowers that spreads to cover soil and prevent erosion
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : coronilla
  • The hillside was planted with crown vetch to help prevent soil erosion.

Examples

  • Gardeners value crown vetch for its attractive pink-and-white blooms and easy maintenance.

  • Crown vetch spreads quickly, making it effective for stabilizing embankments along roads.

  • The garden is full of crown vetch.

  • Many landscapers use crown vetch for erosion control.

  • Crown vetch is often planted on slopes to prevent soil erosion and promote stability.

  • Farmers frequently use crown vetch to enhance soil quality and control erosion in their fields.

  • To improve the landscape and reduce erosion, homeowners commonly add crown vetch to their gardens.

Synonyms

Coronilla varia
vscrown vetch
  • Specialized
9.9

A European flowering plant with pink and white flower clusters that grows year after year, also called crown vetch

is the common name used for ground cover and erosion control

Surface Forms

crown vetch singular
crown vetches plural

Morphology

crown + vetch

This is an endocentric noun compound where 'vetch' is the head, so a learner who knows both words can reasonably infer it is a type of vetch (i.e., a plant). However, the specific botanical details (perennial habit, pink-and-white clustered flowers, use as ground cover) are not derivable from 'crown' + 'vetch', so the full meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Crown vetch gets its name from the round flower clusters that look like a small crown and from vetch, the old name for pea-like plants. So the name helps you picture a low, spreading plant with pink-and-white, crown-shaped flowers used to 'cover the ground' and help stop soil from washing away.