great burdock
- noun
- UK
:
bardana mayor
- The root of the great burdock is valued in traditional medicine across several cultures.
Examples
-
Chefs sometimes use great burdock in Asian-inspired vegetable dishes.
-
We spotted a towering great burdock in the corner of the old hedgerow.
-
The great burdock is known for its large leaves.
-
You can find great burdock in many gardens.
-
Chefs sometimes use great burdock in Asian-inspired vegetable dishes.
-
The root of the great burdock is valued in traditional medicine across several cultures.
-
You can find great burdock growing in various gardens for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Synonyms
4
8.6
A large plant with wide leaves and small spiky balls that stick to clothing or fur
A large plant with heart-shaped leaves and a root you can eat for food and medicine
A plant with large heart-shaped leaves and edible roots used in cooking and traditional medicine
A plant in the daisy family with large leaves and sticky round seed heads
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a large burdock plant' is directly derivable from combining 'great' (very large) with 'burdock' (the plant), following the regular adjective + noun composition. This is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun great burdock comes from the plant's size and its sticky seed heads: bur are the hooked seed heads that cling to fur and clothes, and great means 'big'. That's why great burdock means a large burdock plant often used for food and medicine.