early winter cress

8.4

A small leafy plant with peppery, edible leaves used in salads

noun

: berro de invierno temprano

The leaves of early winter cress are often added to salads for a peppery flavor.

Examples

The early winter cress is a delicious addition to salads.
In Florida, early winter cress is grown as a cool-season crop.
Botanists identified the field specimen as early winter cress.
Have you tried early winter cress in your cooking?
In Florida, early winter cress is grown as a cool-season crop.
The leaves of early winter cress are often added to salads for a peppery flavor.
Have you tried early winter cress in your cooking?

Synonyms

Barbarea verna

vsearly winter cress

Specialized

9.9

A leafy plant grown for salad greens with a peppery taste

is the common everyday name used for the same species

Surface Forms

early winter cress singular

early winter cresses plural

Morphology

early + winter + cress

The phrase is fully compositional: 'early' + 'winter' specifies a seasonal timing and 'cress' names an edible leafy plant, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer it is a type of cress associated with early winter. Although the precise botanical species name may be new, the general meaning and referent (an edible salad green occurring in early winter) are directly derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Early winter cress may come from a simple picture: the word cress names a small, 'peppery' salad green, and this plant comes up early in winter when few other greens grow. That's why the name tells you both what the plant is and when it grows, so it helps you remember it as an 'edible' winter leaf.