ground ivy
- noun
- UK
:
hiedra terrestre
- She decided to plant ground ivy in her hanging baskets for added beauty and texture.
Examples
-
... as for elves, having sought them in vain among foxglove leaves and bells, under the mushrooms and beneath the ground ivy mantling old wall nooks, I had at length made up my mind to the sad fact that they were all gone out of England ...
Blog text (29) -
First, we heard the cool, gurgling sound of water, and then we found the source, hidden beneath a curtain of ferns and ground ivy.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the garden, the ground ivy sprawled across the soil, creating a lush green carpet.
-
The ground ivy thrived in the shade, its small purple flowers peeking out from beneath the larger plants.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A trailing European plant in the mint family with round leaves and small purple flowers
A low plant like mint that spreads across the ground with round leaves and small purple flowers
A low, spreading plant like a small mint with round leaves and purple flowers
A small plant often grown in hanging baskets with trailing stems, rounded leaves and small purple flowers
A trailing plant like mint with rounded leaves and small purple flowers often grown in hanging baskets
A low creeping plant with leaves that have wavy edges and a mint smell
A trailing mint plant with rounded leaves and small purple flowers often used in hanging baskets
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward compound of 'ground' (low to the soil) + 'ivy' (a vine-like plant), so its referent — an ivy-like plant that grows along the ground — is directly derivable from the parts. This is a literal, descriptive botanical name following common compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely understand it.
Etymology
Ground ivy is named because the plant looks like small ivy and creeps over the ground in a low, green mat, so the name simply describes a plant that 'grows along the ground'.