five-flowered gentian
- noun
- /ˈfaɪvˌflaʊərd ˈdʒɛnʃən/
- US
:
gentiana de cinco flores
- We spotted a cluster of five-flowered gentian blooming along the woodland trail.
Examples
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The five-flowered gentian blooms in late summer.
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The vibrant blue petals of the five-flowered gentian attract many photographers each spring.
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Botanists study the five-flowered gentian due to its striking bristly flowers.
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Have you ever seen a five-flowered gentian?
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The vibrant blue petals of the five-flowered gentian attract many photographers each spring.
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We spotted a cluster of five-flowered gentian blooming along the woodland trail.
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Botanists study the five-flowered gentian due to its striking bristly flowers.
Synonyms
A small wild plant with clusters of bright blue flowers that grows in eastern North America
A wildflower with clusters of small blue flowers that grows in eastern North America
A plant with clusters of small bristly blue flowers native to eastern North America
A wild plant of eastern North America with clusters of small, bristly blue flowers
A plant with clusters of bristly blue flowers that grows in eastern North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
five-flowered + gentian
The meaning is directly compositional: 'gentian' names the plant and 'five-flowered' transparently means 'having five flowers' (a productive adjective-formation pattern like 'two-legged', 'three-leafed'). This adjective+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Five-flowered gentian is named for the plant's look: it often grows a small cluster of five bristly blue flowers. That clear image of 'five flowers' is why the name now refers to this particular gentian.
