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Glite Dictionary
golden wattle

golden wattle

8.0
A small Australian tree with bright yellow, fragrant flowers often grown in gardens
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : mimosa dorada
  • Many gardens feature golden wattle for its striking color and fragrant flowers.

Examples

  • The golden wattle is Australia's national floral emblem.

  • Clusters of golden wattle bloom brilliantly in early spring.

  • The golden wattle blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Many gardeners love the golden wattle for its vibrant color.

  • The golden wattle is known for its clusters of bright yellow flowers that attract bees.

  • In Australia, the golden wattle is often used in landscaping for its beautiful blooms.

  • During spring, the golden wattle adds a splash of color to many gardens with its fragrant blossoms.

Synonyms

Acacia pycnantha
vsgolden wattle
  • Australian
8.9

A small Australian tree with clusters of bright yellow fragrant flowers often grown in gardens

uses the everyday common name rather than the Latin binomial

Surface Forms

golden wattle singular
golden wattles plural

Morphology

golden + wattle

The phrase is a straightforward color + noun composition: 'golden' (gold-coloured/yellow) modifying 'wattle' (an Australian acacia), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a wattle tree with golden flowers. Although it names a specific species, the meaning is fully compositional and follows a common cross-linguistic naming pattern.

Etymology

Golden wattle gets its name from its bright yellow (golden) flowers and from wattle, an old word for a fence or wall made by weaving small branches, because people long ago used this tree's branches that way. So the name simply describes the yellow-flowered shrub people used for building, and that is why it became Australia's national flower.