great Solomon's-seal
- noun
- US
:
sello de Salomón
- In the shade of the forest, great Solomon's-seal blooms with its distinctive drooping greenish flowers.
Examples
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The herbalist identified the plant as great Solomon's-seal growing beside the woodland trail.
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Gardeners appreciate great Solomon's-seal for its elegant arching stems and smooth foliage.
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Look at the great Solomon's-seal!
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I spotted a beautiful great Solomon's-seal in the forest.
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In the shade of the forest, great Solomon's-seal blooms with its distinctive drooping greenish flowers.
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Gardeners appreciate great Solomon's-seal for its elegant arching stems and smooth foliage.
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The herbalist identified the plant as great Solomon's-seal growing beside the woodland trail.
Synonyms
A plant that lives many years with arching stems and hanging greenish flowers
A North American plant with arching stems and drooping greenish flowers
A woodland plant with long curved stems, pairs of hanging green bell flowers and a thick root with round scars
Surface Forms
Morphology
great + Solomon's-seal
This is a lexicalized plant name: 'Solomon's-seal' functions as a fixed proper noun for a specific herb and its meaning (a woodland perennial with drooping tubular flowers) is not derivable from the literal words 'Solomon' or 'seal'. The adjective 'great' only signals a larger or notable variety, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not be able to predict the botanical meaning, making the MWE opaque.
Etymology
The name great Solomon's-seal comes from the plant's root, which has round scars that look like a small royal seal or stamp. People once thought these marks were the 'seal' of King Solomon, so the name stuck and we still call this woodland herb great Solomon's-seal today.
