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fragrant bedstraw

fragrant bedstraw

9.5
A low plant with small white flowers that smells sweet and is used to scent clothes or cover the ground
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : gálio fragante
  • The shady path was bordered with fragrant bedstraw, filling the air with its sweet scent.

Examples

  • Dried fragrant bedstraw can be used to perfume linens and clothes.

  • Gardeners often plant fragrant bedstraw as an attractive ground cover beneath trees.

  • The fragrant bedstraw filled the garden with its lovely scent.

  • Many gardeners choose fragrant bedstraw for its beautiful flowers.

  • Dried fragrant bedstraw can be used to perfume linens and clothes.

  • The shady path was bordered with fragrant bedstraw, filling the air with its sweet scent.

  • Gardeners often plant fragrant bedstraw as an attractive ground cover beneath trees.

Synonyms

woodruff
vsfragrant bedstraw
117 9.5

A small woodland plant with white flowers and a sweet smell

is a specific description of one plant rather than the broader woodland group
Asperula odorata
vsfragrant bedstraw
  • Specialized
9.9

A fragrant ground cover plant with white flowers that people use to flavor wine or scent clothes

is the general descriptive name rather than the formal botanical label
Galium odoratum
vsfragrant bedstraw
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant that grows near the ground with white flowers that smell sweet

is the broader descriptive label used outside botanical naming
sweet woodruff
vsfragrant bedstraw
7.9

A low plant with small white flowers and a sweet smell used to cover the ground and flavor drinks

is the descriptive phrase rather than regional or scientific naming
waldmeister
vsfragrant bedstraw
  • UK
9.9

A small green plant with a sweet smell often used to flavor drinks and as a ground cover

is the common descriptive term used in English rather than the traditional name

Surface Forms

Morphology

fragrant + bedstraw

This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'fragrant' modifies 'bedstraw', so the phrase simply means 'bedstraw that emits a pleasant scent'. The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

The noun fragrant bedstraw comes from the old use of putting the sweet-smelling plant into beds as a kind of bed straw to scent mattresses and keep clothes fresh. That's why the name points to a pleasant-smelling plant used to perfume linens and as a ground cover.