Skip to main content
great yellowcress

great yellowcress

9.9
A tall plant with yellow flowers that grows beside rivers and streams
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : berro
  • You can often find great yellowcress near slow-moving streams in the countryside.

Examples

  • The riverbank was lined with tall great yellowcress in full bloom.

  • Botanists recorded several patches of great yellowcress during the survey.

  • The great yellowcress blooms beautifully in the spring.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the great yellowcress for its vibrant flowers.

  • You can often find great yellowcress near slow-moving streams in the countryside.

  • The riverbank was lined with tall great yellowcress in full bloom.

  • Many gardeners appreciate the great yellowcress for its vibrant flowers.

Synonyms

Nasturtium amphibium
vsgreat yellowcress
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that grows year after year near streams and ponds with small yellow flowers

specifies yellow flowers as a notable identifying feature
Rorippa amphibia
vsgreat yellowcress
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant with small yellow flowers that lives for many years by rivers

says classification is only sometimes assigned to that genus

Surface Forms

Morphology

great + yellowcress

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'great' (large/notable) modifies 'yellowcress', which itself is transparently analyzable as 'yellow' + 'cress' (a type of plant), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it names a (relatively large) plant with yellow features. Specific botanical details (perennial, riverside habitat) are encyclopedic and not derivable, but the basic referent as a plant is predictable from the parts.

Etymology

The noun great yellowcress may come from the plant's look: it is a great meaning large, yellow-flowered cress, a peppery water plant often found by rivers. That's why the name means 'a large, yellow cress that grows by water'.