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Glite Dictionary
derris root

derris root

9.9
The root of a climbing plant used to make a natural insect poison
  • noun
  • /ˈdɛrɪs ruːt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : raíz de derris
  • Farmers sometimes use derris root as a natural alternative to synthetic pesticides.

Examples

  • The powdered derris root was traditionally used to stun fish in Southeast Asia.

  • The derris root is known for its effectiveness against insects.

  • Botanists are studying the chemical compounds found in derris root.

  • Farmers often use derris root as a natural pesticide.

  • Farmers sometimes use derris root as a natural alternative to synthetic pesticides.

  • The powdered derris root was traditionally used to stun fish in Southeast Asia.

  • The derris root is known for its effectiveness against insects.

Synonyms

tuba root
vsderris root
  • Philippine
9.9

A climbing plant whose root has a poison used to stun fish and kill insects

is the botanical source of rotenone specifically for insect control

Surface Forms

derris root singular
derris roots plural

Morphology

derris + root

The phrase simply denotes the root of the derris plant and is compositionally built from 'derris' (a type of vine) + 'root' (plant organ), so the meaning (the plant root used for rotenone) is directly derivable from its parts. This is a literal botanical compound following common noun+noun composition cross-linguistically and is not idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand it.

Etymology

The noun derris root is the root of a climbing plant called derris, which people long used for its strong natural poison. Powdered derris root was thrown into water to 'stun fish' or spread on crops to 'kill insects', so the name refers to a plant root used as a 'natural insecticide'.