field pennycress
- noun
- UK
:
pennycress de campo
- In the spring, field pennycress often blooms in abandoned lots, attracting bees with its strong smell.
Examples
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Field pennycress is commonly found alongside roadsides, its round seed pods easily identifiable.
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Farmers in the area have noticed an increase in field pennycress sprouting among their crops.
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Bottom, far left: Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) sprouts in a neglected concrete planter in Detroit.
Academic text (2010)
Synonyms
1
9.0
A smelly weed with round flat seed pods
A common weed from Europe and Asia with round flat seed pods and a strong unpleasant smell
A smelly weed with round flat seed pods that grows in fields
A small plant with white flowers and flat round seed pods
A plant with a bad smell and flat round seed pods that spread easily
A smelly weed with round flat seed pods from Europe and Asia now growing in North America
A weed from Europe and Asia with a strong smell and round flat seed pods now common in North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is transparently compositional: 'field' (a plot of land) modifies 'pennycress' (a plant), so the phrase denotes a type of pennycress associated with or found in fields. This modifier+noun pattern is a common, predictable formation cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Field pennycress comes from the plant's round, flat seed pods that look like tiny coins, which is why penny is in the name and cress tells you it is a small plant. It often grows in open fields, so the word 'field' was added to show where the 'weed' is found.