grass poly

9.9

A small plant that lives for one year and grows in wet places with tiny pink flowers

noun

: hierba poli

We found a rare grass poly blooming along the riverbank after the spring rains.

Examples

The grass poly is often overlooked due to its small and delicate flowers.
Conservationists are working to protect wetland habitats that support the grass poly.
Look at that beautiful grass poly over there!
The grass poly blooms beautifully in spring.
Conservationists are working to protect wetland habitats that support the grass poly.
We found a rare grass poly blooming along the riverbank after the spring rains.
The grass poly is often overlooked due to its small and delicate flowers.

Synonyms

Lythrum hyssopifolia

vsgrass poly

Specialized

9.9

A small plant with pink flowers that grows in wet meadows and along riverbanks

has identical meaning but appears as a formal scientific label

hyssop loosestrife

vsgrass poly

9.9

A plant that lives one year with small pink flowers in wet places

has identical meaning but uses a different common name

Surface Forms

grass poly singular

grass polies plural

Morphology

grass + poly

The compound denotes a specific botanical species (an annual with small pink flowers) that is not a straightforward combination of 'grass' (a general plant type) and 'poly' (a bound prefix meaning 'many'). Because 'poly' is normally a bound morpheme rather than an independent word and the overall meaning is not 'many grasses' or transparently related to the constituents, a B1 learner knowing the parts would not reliably infer the idiomatic botanical sense.

Etymology

Grass poly gets its name from the plant's tiny pink flowers that often hide in the grass, and the second part poly is a short form used for this kind of plant. That is why the name refers to a small annual plant with single pink flowers that grows in wet places.