goat willow

9.1

A willow tree with many branches, broad leaves, and soft silvery flower clusters that grows in Europe and Asia

noun

: sauce de cabra

The goat willow produces soft, silvery catkins in early spring.

Examples

In the damp woodland, several goat willow trees stood alongside the stream.
The goat willow blooms beautifully in spring.
Gardeners often plant goat willow for its resilience and attractive foliage.
Many goat willows grow along the riverbank.
The goat willow, known for its fluffy catkins, thrives near riverbanks in Europe.
In spring, the goat willow displays beautiful yellow catkins that attract many pollinators.
Some artisans use the pliable branches of the goat willow for making baskets.

Synonyms

pussy willow

vsgoat willow

1 4.2

A small tree or bush with soft furry buds that appear before the leaves

is the specific Old World species with broad leaves and large catkins

Salix caprea

vsgoat willow

Specialized

9.9

A willow tree with broad leaves and soft fuzzy flowers in spring

is the common descriptive name focusing on branching and catkins not the scientific name

Surface Forms

goat willow singular

goat willows plural

Morphology

goat + willow

The compound 'goat willow' is transparently built from 'goat' + 'willow' and will be interpreted by a B1 learner as a type of willow tree associated with goats (e.g. browsed by or named for goats). Although the precise botanical species details (Salix caprea) are not deducible, the basic meaning 'a kind of willow tree' follows standard noun-compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically common, so it is immediately comprehensible to learners who know both words.

Etymology

Goat willow may get its name from goats that liked to eat its leaves and young shoots. So the willow was called goat because goats often fed on it, and that is why the name means this kind of tree today.