ghost gum
- noun
- Australian
:
eucalipto fantasma
- The ghost gum stood out in the moonlight, its pale bark almost glowing beside the riverbank.
Examples
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Many artists are inspired by the unique beauty of the ghost gum in the Australian landscape.
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During our hike, we rested under a tall ghost gum that provided welcome shade.
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The ghost gum stands tall in the Australian outback.
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Have you seen a ghost gum before?
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Many artists are inspired by the unique beauty of the ghost gum in the Australian landscape.
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During our hike, we rested under a tall ghost gum that provided welcome shade.
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The ghost gum stood out in the moonlight, its pale bark almost glowing beside the riverbank.
Synonyms
A small Australian or Tasmanian tree with smooth light coloured bark that peels in strips
A small to medium tree from Australia and Tasmania with smooth white or light-grey peeling bark called snow gum
A small to medium tree from Australia and Tasmania with smooth pale bark that peels
A small to medium tree from Australia and Tasmania with smooth light-grey bark that peels in strips
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a descriptive noun–noun compound where 'ghost' qualifies 'gum' (a gum tree); knowing 'ghost' (suggesting pale or ghostly appearance) and 'gum' (a type of eucalyptus/tree) lets a learner infer it is a gum tree with a pale/white, ghost-like bark. Such compositional plant names are a common and transparent naming pattern in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to understand the meaning.
Etymology
Ghost gum gets its name from the tree's very pale, smooth bark that seems to glow at night; people said the white trunk looked like a ghost and used the word gum for this kind of tree. That's why ghost gum refers to a tree with pale, ghost-like bark.
